I'm Still Here
by Pia O'Leary
Summary: Katie and Oliver have been best friends for six years, but when they return for their sixth year at Hogwarts they both start to see things a little bit differently. Is Oliver honestly atracted to his best friend ... like that? Flint creates problems! rr
1. The Importance of Being Ticklish

Chapter 1

"No, Pat and I went to a game and –" Katie Bell was cut off by someone putting their hands over her eyes. "Who is this?" she asked slyly, she knew exactly who it was but she would play his game anyway, like always.

"Guess!" Angelina and Alicia, whom she had been talking to, chorused.

Katie put her hands over the hands on her eyes, feeling them. "Well unmanicured nails, so it's a guy ... smells like strong leather so it's a Quidditch player" (all Quidditch players wear gloves made out of the same, distinctly strong leather) "... and calluses indicative of a keeper. Let me guess, Oliver!" Oliver laughed and uncovered her eyes. Suddenly, he spun her around and picked her up, twirling around several times. Katie yelped and started laughing. "Put me down! Oliver!" Reluctantly, he stopped and set her back on the ground.

"What? Not happy to see me?" Katie rolled her eyes and enveloped her friend in a tight hug. "Much better!" Oliver smiled as they pulled away.

"How was your summer?" It was strange, coming back this year and not having seen each other for three months. They had spent every summer together since first year when they met. (A/N: I took a creative license and made Katie, Oliver, Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia all in the same year ... they're sixth years.)

"And finally, after three months, the Spectacular Six are reunited!" Fred called out in a mock announcer voice. He and George were walking towards Katie, Oliver, Alicia, and Angelina on the platform.

"We should get on the train." They all smiled and nodded and started looking for an empty compartment. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they found one. Fred, George, and Oliver lugged the trunks inside. The girls were perfectly capable of carrying their own trunks, being fabulously in shape from Quidditch, but they decided to let the guys feel macho. The train started a few seconds after the guys had finally gotten all the trunks inside their compartment.

"Hey, we'll see you later." Oliver grabbed Katie's hand and they started down the hallway, but not before hearing George's kissing noises and Fred's catcall. Katie rolled her eyes and laughed, but Oliver just shook his head. "Here, this one's empty." Oliver pulled Katie inside an empty compartment and sat down with a sigh. "So how was your summer? Bloody hell, I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever." They had owled each other during the summer, but truth be told, they enjoyed each other's company more than the actual words they said.

"The summer was okay. Pat and I went to a Quidditch game, he's starting this season you know." Patrick was Katie's older brother who had recently been signed as the new seeker for Puddlemere United (A/N: Too lazy to look up another Quidditch team, so if you have one you'd like me to use, leave it in a review and I'll change that!).

"I think it's genetic ... the whole Quidditch thing." Katie raised an eyebrow at Oliver.

"Then how come I got jipped?!"

"What? You didn't get jipped, you're the finest chaser Hogwarts has ever seen!" Oliver smiled; he was never sure whether Katie didn't like to admit she was good or if she truly didn't believe she was. "How's your Mum about him playing?"

"Meh, okay I suppose. Flew off the handle at him when he first told her, but now she's better. I can't blame her though, after Dad nearly got killed in that match 10 years ago, she's been deathly afraid. She even refused to go see any of his games!" Katie's dad played Quidditch professionally as well, but was planning to retire once she graduated from Hogwarts.

"You're kidding! That's insane!" Katie laughed and smacked Oliver for his sarcasm. "Ow, that hurt Katie, it really did."

"Oh shove it!"

"Shove it where exactly?" Katie and Oliver burst out laughing. They played this little game where they tried insulting each other as long as they could without laughing. Last year, they had beaten the record with an astounding 12 hours. It had gone on all day ... but 3 months without one game had left them both a little rusty.

"That was horrible! Not even five minutes, Oliver!"

Oliver faked a sigh, "Yeah, just horrible!"

"So how was your summer?"

"My summer was a never ending babysitting job!" Oliver shook his head; he had two younger siblings, Amanda and Coby.

"Oh that's right! Your parents went to New York for your dad's conference! How's your Mum about sending her second son off to Hogwarts?" Katie laughed, 6 years ago when Mrs. Wood had come to drop Oliver off, she cried and carried on for an hour about sending her baby away for months.

Oliver grinned, remembering that day. Despite his mother's hysterics it had been one of the best days of his life; he had met Katie that day. "She's not crying her eyes out, but she looked like she might keel over any minute yesterday. I'm dreading next year ... Amanda starts!"

"Oh god! Amanda is your Mum's pride and joy ... I pity you."

"Well, if my evil scheme works ... I'll be spending next summer at your house so I won't have to deal with it!" Oliver grinned in a mock evil way.

"Oh you think so huh? We'll just see about that one, Mr. Wood!" Katie tried to glare, but the corners of her mouth were creeping up and, as Oliver started to laugh, she grinned.

"You've been practicing?" Katie rolled her eyes; sometimes Oliver was just a bit too obsessed with Quidditch.

"No, Ol' I didn't practice at all this summer and I'll be in bloody horrible shape when it comes time for our first game!" Oliver continued to stare at her, expressionless. "Yes, I practiced. Happy now, Ol'?" She smiled at the nickname she had used without realizing it.

"Yes, very, Kate." They had agreed long ago that no one but Katie could call Oliver "Ol'" and no one but Oliver could call Katie "Kate". Oliver said it was some sort of loyalties thing, but Katie just shrugged and went along with it.

"We will with the Cup this year." Katie glared out the window; the House Cup had been so cruelly denied them for 6 years straight. "Bloody Slytherins don't deserve it!"

Oliver was about to agree with her when Marcus Flint and a few of his thugs stepped into their compartment. "Speak of the devil."

"Flattered, Wood, I really am. But is resorting to flattery really ... becoming of you?" Flint and his buddies chuckled as Oliver turned a bright shade of red.

"Is acting like a fu—"Katie got up and pressed a finger to Oliver's lips, causing whatever barrage of colorful words was coming to cease.

"Get out Flint. Wouldn't want you getting expelled for fighting and missing the first match would we?"

"Look, now he's got the mudblood fighting his battles for him!" Flint laughed, as Katie turned red. She wasn't a mudblood, her mother was pureblood, but a Squib, and her father was most certainly pureblood. She felt the anger welling up inside of her. Without realizing what had happened, Katie was jolted back out of her fury as Flint's laughter stopped abruptly and he found himself lying on the floor. Katie looked from Flint and then to Oliver and his raised fist, and grinned. Flint licked the blood off his cut lip as he pushed himself off the ground.

"Don't you ever talk about her that way!" Katie was shocked to hear so much anger in Oliver's voice. Flint was about to say something, but seeing the look in Oliver's eyes decided against it. He and his thugs turned suddenly and walked out of the compartment.

"Ol?"

"What?" Oliver spat. Katie looked at him with a shocked and angry expression. "Sorry ... I can't believe he said that ... ruddy bastard."

"Hey, Oliver calm down. It's fine; he doesn't have any idea what he's talking about." Oliver continued to glare and sat down. "Oliver!" Katie wailed, she hated it when he got like this; he was bloody impossible to talk to. She considered her options for a moment and then sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around his. "Please, please, please don't let this get to you," she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. Oliver sighed heavily.

"I can't stand it when he talks like that ... especially to you."

"Why especially to me? I'm no different than anyone else, he just says random insults off the top of his head, even if they aren't true." Oliver finally turned and looked Katie in the eyes. His features were a tad softened now, better than they had been a few seconds ago, but by no means good.

"Especially you because ..." Oliver didn't finish his sentence, but just turned and looked out the window.

"If I didn't think I was going to get my head bitten off, I'd ask what the bloody hell is going on with you. But since I do, I won't." Katie sighed, why was he shutting her out like this? Normally he would have laughed at the snide remark, but he just continued to stare out the window. "Fine! Sulk in here forever for all I care! I don't understand why you and every other guy in this world have to go off on a testosterone kick every 5 hours! Bloody hell, Oliver!" Oliver cringed as Katie stood up and started for the door.

"Katie wait!" Oliver leaned out of the compartment.

"Why should I?" But she stopped, halfway to Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina's compartment. She didn't turn around to look at him, though.

"I'm sorry ... please, let's not fight." Katie rolled her eyes and smiled, turning around. She hid her smile until both she and Oliver were back inside their compartment. "What are you smiling about? Oh ... you're in so much trouble now!" Katie raised an eyebrow, but not for long. She collapsed into a fit of giggles as Oliver lunged at her and started tickling her.

"Eek! Stop! Stop it!" she gasped out between laughs. "Oliver Wood! Stop!" Oliver stopped momentarily to reposition himself to get a better angle, and Katie took the opportunity to flip him onto the ground. "Oh, you'll pay!" She jumped down after him and started tickling him mercilessly. After a few minutes and a few more shifts in power, they were both sitting on the floor of their compartment, trying to catch their breath between laughs. "I really missed you this summer."

"Yeah? Me too." Oliver smiled at Katie and she smiled back. "After we graduate ... let's not end up like our parents who haven't talked to their Hogwarts friends since the reunion. Okay?"

"Aww, Ol' that's sweet." Katie laughed, "You're not my Hogwarts friend ... I dunno, you're something more." Katie giggled at her own words and Oliver soon joined her.

A/N: Well? What do you think?? The next chapter will be from Oliver's POV, so you might get to find out "what the bloody hell is going on with" him. But, only if I'm in a good mood, hehe. Please review! Thanks! BTW, this chapter was named after the play, "The Importance of Being Earnest" or at least that's what inspired me. My friends are doing a scene from it for theatre and I thought it would make a cute title, what'd you think?


	2. Black Knickers

A/N: sorry all, but the formatting hates me ... not all the song lyrics are in italics, but you're all smart people ... figure it out!  


  
Chapter 2

"Hello, Angelina, Alicia." Fred smiled warmly as he, George, and Oliver entered the girls' Dormitory.

"How'd you get in?" Angelina asked absentmindedly as she brushed her hair out.

"Yeah, what about the slide?"

"It's all about intentions, my dear," Oliver said with a cheeky Scottish grin. He looked around the Dormitory; it definitely had Katie's touches. There was a purple lava lamp with bright orange lava sitting on a nightstand, a muggle stereo system, several posters of muggle bands, a huge stack of muggle CD's, a plethora of muggle fantasy books, and to top it all off a muggle laptop computer. Katie's mother was a Squib and had been raised as a muggle for the most part, which explained Katie's love for all things muggle. Oliver was about to sit down when Katie came storming out of the bathroom door wearing a bra and knickers.

"Have you seen my black knickers?!" Katie walked over to her trunk and started rifling through it. Angelina cleared her throat and Katie stood up, turned around, and looked at her, annoyed. Alicia motioned the guys with her head. "Oh, hi. You haven't seen my black knickers, have you?"

"No," Fred squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "No." George raised his eyebrows and smiled while Oliver just stood there in shock.

"What's wrong with you?" Katie straightened up and put her hands on her hips.

"You look ... amazing!" Katie looked down at herself; it looked like the same old Katie to her.

Oliver stood there in shock; Katie looked like ... a goddess! Her legs were perfectly sculpted, muscular but not like a body-builder. He could tell she had rock-hard abs, but they weren't completely defined, making her stomach appear flat as a board but not in an anorexic kind of way. Her chest had filled out over the summer, something he hadn't noticed when she was wearing her baggy t-shirt on the train. Her arms were lean and muscular as well. He didn't realize until Fred elbowed him that his mouth had been hanging in a perfect 'O'. Last year she had been in shape, yes, but nothing compared to this.

"What I wanna know who is this toned, muscular chica in front of me and what did you do with the thin, lean Katie?" Katie rolled her eyes at Alicia.

"Patty decided he needed to spend an hour in the gym everyday. Being the kind person I am, I accompanied him. Besides the fact that he had some pretty good blackmail on me and wanted company. That's what's missing!" Katie ran over to the stereo system set up on the spare desk and turned it on. "Alanis? Or should I change it?"

"No! No, number four!" Angelina shrieked from her bed. Katie pressed another button and music started coming out of the speakers. Angelina and Alicia got up and walked over to Katie. They started to dance as the singing started; Katie started to sing along with it.

I'm broke but I'm happy I'm poor but I'm kind

_I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah_

_I'm high but I'm grounded_

_I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby_

Smiling, Angelina and Alicia joined her. Fred, George and Oliver swallowed hard, simultaneously. Katie was still wearing nothing but her bra and knickers and both Angelina and Alicia were wearing fitted, baby tees and very short shorts.

_What it all comes down to _

Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine I've got one hand in my pocket And the other one is giving a high five I feel drunk but I'm sober I'm young but I'm underpaid

_I'm tired but I'm working, yeah_

I care but 'm restless

_I'm here but I'm really gone_

_What it all comes down to_

_Is that everything's gonna be quite alright_

_I've got one hand in my pocket_

_And the other one is flicking a cigarette_

_And what it all comes down to_

_Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet_

_I've got one hand in my pocket_

_And the other one is giving a peace sign_

The three jumped up on Katie's bed and continued to dance, ignoring the open mouths and wide-eyes that the guys were giving them.

I'm free but I'm focused

_I'm green but I'm wise_

_I'm hard but I'm friendly baby_

_I'm sad but I'm laughing_

I'm brave but I'm chicken shit

Under normal circumstances, the guys would have laughed at this line, but these were anything but normal circumstances.

I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

_And what it all boils down to _

_Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet_

_I've got one hand in my pocket_

_And the other is playing a piano_

At this moment, the guys broke out of their trances. They turned to each other with shocked expressions. "Showers?" Fred asked in a whisper.

"Cold." Oliver nodded affirmatively and he, Fred, and George hurried out of the girls' Dormitories and back to their own.

And what it all comes down to my friends

_Is that everything's just fine fine fine_

_I've got one hand in my pocket_

_And the other one is hailing a taxicab_

The three girls collapsed onto the bed laughing as the CD continued to the next song. After they regained their composure, they noticed that Fred, George, and Oliver were no longer in their Dormitory.

"That's odd."

"Well with you strutting about in your bra yelling about your knickers, I'm not surprised you scared them off!" Katie swatted Angelina and they burst out laughing again.

"Well frankly, I don't see what their problem was! They've seen us all in bras and knickers a thousand times before in the locker rooms ... dunno why it's different now." Alicia shook her head thoughtfully. "But I have to admit, Katie, you look fabulous!"

"They're going to have kittens when they see you two!" Katie giggled as she stood up and walked to her trunk. "Damn, I still can't find my black knickers!"

**The Great Hall**

"Hey, where did you guys go?" Alicia stared penetratingly at Fred, George, and Oliver.

"Umm ..." Fred looked at George, hoping that he would supply some kind of explanation. George just stared at him, hopelessly.

"We just had to umm ..."

Katie rolled her eyes and laughed. "They're planning to take over the world and they remembered that they needed to phone the mercenaries about a change of scheduling." Fred, George, and Oliver stared at her with shocked, grateful expressions. "I only request one thing, that we each get our own island with hott Latino attendants." Katie, Angelina, and Alicia shrieked with laughter, the matter of where the guys had actually been, forgotten. Oliver mouthed a 'thank you' to her as he, Fred, and George sat down. Katie smiled warmly and they started eating.

"We haven't got any classes tomorrow, this is the way to spend time at Hogwarts!" George grinned and started thinking about what ingenious pranks they would be pulling the following day.

"All I can say is, don't get caught, George Weasley!" Alicia shot him a glare but then looked back down at her food. George reached out and took her hand.

"Why, whatever do you mean?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure." Alicia attempted to hide a smile, but failed miserably.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"Hey you!"

Hi." Katie smiled up at Oliver as she closed her book and he sat down next to her on the Gryffindor Common Room couch. "So what was with you earlier? You all like freaked out in the Dormitory." Oliver blushed.

"Yeah, about that." Katie pursed her lips at his attempt; he had been using that line for who knows how many years to try and get out of her questions. It never worked.

"Yeah, so spill it, Ol'."

"You just ... how do I say this without offending you?"

"Oliver, I'm not going to be offended, just spit it out! Bloody hell, I think you would've known me long enough to be able to speak candidly with me!" Oliver cringed at Katie's annoyance.

"Okay, sorry ... you looked really bloody good. It caught me off guard I guess. And then of course, to top it all off, you were standing there yelling about your black knickers." Katie giggled and Oliver chuckled, remembering the strange sight.

"I still never found them you know. Musta left them at home ... that makes me so angry!"

"Kate, they're just a pair of knickers!" Katie gasped exaggeratedly.

"They're not _just_ a pair of knickers! Those are my favorite knickers!"

"What? Are they lacking of fabric and all lacey?" Oliver wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Katie swatted him.

"No ... that pair isn't black it's red, duh!" Katie and Oliver burst out laughing.

"Hey I'm really bored, wanna go for a run?"

"Yeah, we haven't run in so long. Wonder if you can still keep up?" Katie grinned and started for her Dormitory to change into something more suitable for running.

"He could never keep up, what are you talking about?" Fred interjected. He smiled as Oliver glared at him.

**The Quidditch Field**

"Those shorts could stand a little more fabric, don't you think?" Katie rolled her eyes and picked up speed.

"Now you sound like my brother! All summer all I ever heard what that shirt's too short, that skirt's too short, those shorts are too short, that dress is too revealing! Bloody hell, I'm stronger than most of the guys at Hogwarts, I don't think anyone will be taking advantage of my any time soon." Oliver smiled weakly and dropped the subject.

_I didn't say it for your benefit ... I said it for my own ... how in the bloody hell am I supposed to concentrate on my pace with those legs ... that body. Ahh! Snap out of it Oliver! This is Katie we're talking about here! Yeah, but she's so damn beautiful ... no, no, its already gone too far. I've got to keep it under control ... she only thinks of us as friends, right?_

A/N: Okay, here's chapter 2. I was planning for this one to be in Oliver's point of view, but that didn't really work. Chapter 3 will most definitely be in his point of view. How did you all like it? The Knickers conversation is my pride and joy ... stemming from another boring geometry class! Haha! Much thanks to Ms. Martinson.

Thanks to all the reviewers: **DarkRose, MasterHarper Menolly, **and **Truetilltheend!** How'd you all like this chapter?

**Theanonamouse:** Wow, I'm so flattered! Thanks so much! How did you like this chapter? The romance is going to take a while to come out, because they are best friends and that wouldn't really work if it went soo fast. Glad you read the rest of my stories, again, thanks a bunch!

Disclaimer: As much as I would **love **to own Oliver Wood ... sadly, I don't ... so don't sue!


	3. Upsetting the Natural Order

Chapter 3

Oliver's POV 

"Oy, Oliver!" I yawned as I saw Fred wave me over to the Gryffindor table. He and George were already half done with their breakfast as I sat down.

"Morning!" George smiled cheerfully and I grunted in response; I am not a morning person. "You seen the girls?"

"Hmm? No, they're not in their Dormitories." I picked up a piece of toast and shoveled some hash browns onto my plate. "Prolly off chasing some guy." Okay, I admit, it was a little cruel. Besides the fact that none of them are like that, George and Fred are head over heels for Alicia and Angelina, respectively. Just then a shocking thought entered my head; it seemed that the Spectacular Six were soon to become the Terriffic Three ... the Terriffic Three couples! Fred and Angelina, George and Alicia, and Katie and ... me. I shook my head fiercely, trying to get that thought out of it.

"Okay, there Oliver?"

"What? Oh, yeah fine, just tired is all."

"I don't think he's gonna tell us, George."

"Hmm, we'll just have to bring out the big guns Fred." I looked up at them with a confused, shocked expression. What in the bloody hell were they talking about? They didn't know about me and Katie ... they couldn't ... bloody hell I was barely admitting it to myself, let alone anyone else!

"Why don't we go practice a little? The weather's perfect for Quidditch." I attempted a smile as I looked out the window.

"Sure, haven't been on a proper pitch all summer!" George grinned as he cleaned the remaining scrambled eggs off his plate. We stood up and headed out to the pitch. As we got closer, we heard the distinct voices of Katie, Alicia, and Angelina. They were laughing at something.

"What's so funny, ladies?" Fred raised an eyebrow at them and they started towards the ground.

"Nothing."

"How come you didn't tell us you were coming out to play, Katie?" Okay, so it sounded incredibly childish ... I know, but I was a little hurt. They didn't even bother to ask us if we wanted to play.

"Aww, your ego a little bit bruised there, Ol'?" Katie smiled at me; I knew she was provoking the game.

"Well when someone else's ego takes up the entire room, its hard not to get your own bruised." I winked at her, smirking.

"If you think you're so great, then why don't we play a little game? Three on three, guys against girls. No Bludgers, just the Quaffle." Katie raised an eyebrow at me, smirking.

"Fine, but don't be sad when you lose." Katie flipped her ponytail as she turned around and walked back to Alicia and Angelina. They whispered for a second and she turned back to me.

"Alicia's gonna be keeper, Angelina and I will be chasers. Let's go!" She smiled evilly and kicked off. Fred, George, and I did the same.

I nonchalantly flew over to the hoops; Katie was a great chaser, I admit, but not quite good enough that I needed to worry about blocking her. As I reached the hoops, I heard Katie yelp, presumably out of joy, and turned my broom to watch them down in the middle of the field. Katie had gotten the Quaffle and was flying straight for me. Fred tailed her, catching up to her within seconds, but George on the other hand wasn't yet even with Angelina. Katie threw the Quaffle to Angelina who flew upward, catching George off guard. Katie continued to fly straight for me, staring at me intently. What's she doing? She hasn't got the Quaffle. Just before she reached me, the Quaffle dropped out of the sky into her waiting hands. She faked a left and threw it squarely in the right hoop.

"Oh yeah!" Katie held out her hand as Angelina flew past and slapped it with her own. I just stared ... since when did Katie fly like ... well that? The rest of our impromptu game continued mostly the same. Katie was flying like ... I don't know what! I blocked one; _one_ of her 20 or so shots ... one! The natural order was that she got one in out of 20! This damn girl was messing up the natural order! "Ready to call it a day, Ol'?" I looked at the sun; it was starting to set.

"Woah! We've been playing for hours! Bloody hell!" Fred flew to the ground and dismounted his broom.

"No wonder I'm so hungry." George followed Fred and they both sat down on the soft grass. They lay down on their backs simultaneously and I just shook my head, lazy arses.

"So much for us being sad, Oliver!" Alicia smirked as she sat down next to George, who shifted to rest his head in her lap. I laughed; she really didn't seem to mind all that much, about time anyways. Those two have fancied each other for ages.

I realized that I hadn't said a word, except for a few colorful ones under my breath about missing shots, since we started our game. "What I wanna know is who is this world-class Chaser and what did she do with Katie Bell?" Katie smacked me on the arm and sat down on the grass.

"I'm still the same old Katie Bell, Oliver! I just did a lot of training over the summer." She shrugged and, grabbing my trouser leg, tugged on it, signaling that I should sit down with her.

"Well if you call that 'a little training over the summer' then I can't wait to see what's going to happen when we start practicing for real." I laughed at Katie's failed attempt at a glare.

"Let's go up to the locker rooms and shower ... they smell!" Angelina held her nose and pointed to Fred, George, and I laughing.

"S'not like you smell like a rose yourself, dearie." Fred smirked as Angelina smacked his arm. Nonetheless, we all trudged up to the locker rooms. We all went to our respective lockers which had already been stocked with everything we would need.

"Oh, Katie, these are yours I believe." George grinned from ear to ear as he held up a pair of black knickers on the end of his wand. I tried my best to stifle a laugh, but wasn't completely successful.

"Why you little! Give me those!" Katie snatched the knickers and threw them into her locker. Everyone burst out laughing as Katie jumped onto George's back and rubbed her knuckles into his head.

"Ow! Ow! Katie!"

"Ha! Serves you right you little perve! How'd you get them anyways?" Katie jumped off and peeled off her teeshirt, revealing her tan tummy and a gray bra. I blinked several times; this wasn't supposed to affect me remember?

"Well I didn't actually-" I cut him off ... couldn't have Katie knowing what actually happened, she'd kill me!

"Our first games against Ravenclaw, according to McGonagall. We should be plenty ready for them ... especially with all those new plays our three beautiful Chasers have invented." I smiled a cheeky Scottish smile and started rifling through my stuff for a clean shirt, pulling off the one I currently had on.

"Hey, look it's raining!" Alicia shrieked pointing to the window. Sure enough it was raining outside.

"Oh my gosh! I love rain, let's go dance in it!" Katie grinned and the five of them started for the door. I shook my head, chuckling, and continued looking for a clean robe. "Oliver!"

"No thanks, I'll see you all later." I smiled and turned to take a shower. I had barely started walking when I felt Katie's hands stop me and turn me around.

"Oliver Wood, I'm not going to let you stay in here while it is pouring rain out there! I wouldn't be a good friend if I allowed you to miss this perfect opportunity to dance in the rain." Despite her serious tone, she was smiling.

"Kate, d'you remember what happened last time we 'danced in the rain'?" I was referring to last Halloween when she and I left the Halloween feast to dance in the rain.

"Yeah, we had a bloody brilliant time!"

"No, we got sick and had to get better the muggle way. You were sick for like two weeks!" I glared at her; not only did she miss a game, but she was completely miserable for those two weeks.

"Oh Oliver! Don't be such a spoil sport, for once in your life don't do the mature thing!" Katie gave me a puppy dogface; damn that face is so hard to turn down. "Please Ol'?" That had sealed it; between the face and the nickname no one would have been able to say no.

"Oh fine! But if you get sick –"

"I know I know Oliver!" Katie smiled and grabbed my hands, dragging me towards the door. We ran out onto the field; Katie let go of my hand and twirled around, getting soaked within seconds. I smiled subconsciously; she was so independent and spirited. "You're not going to just stand there, are you?" I shrugged, not trusting myself to say anything. There was Katie Bell, my best friend for 6 years, wearing nothing but a bra and shorts (looking fabulous, I might add) dancing in the rain. "Oh Oliver, some time I don't know what to do with you!" I raised an eyebrow as she started towards me. She grabbed my hands in hers and started to spin, but stopped abruptly. "Wait! We need music! Angelina, you have the honor!" she said in a loud, mock ceremonial voice.

Angelina took out her wand (I'm not quite sure where she had been keeping it as she was dressed, similarly to Katie, in a bra and pair of short shorts, but I decided not to ponder that for too long). She muttered something inaudible over the sound of the rain and a stereo appeared, levitating in mid-air.

The music started to play, I'm assuming, but I didn't hear it. The only thing I was paying any attention to was Katie, something about her in that moment just caught me. She walked towards me and grabbed my hands, starting to sway to the music. The rain was soaking us both to the bone; I saw her shiver involuntarily.

"Come here, your feet will freeze!" Katie smiled, taking my meaning, and walked over to me. She jumped up on my back and whispered a thank you in my ear, sending shivers up and down my spine. We danced for who knows how long ... in the rain ... I danced with Katie Bell, my best friend, but maybe there was something else there too.

**A/N: **How did you all like that? These are purely Oliver's thoughts on the events; a more objective view of the rain scene will appear in the next chapter! Haha, and I may eventually decide to tell you how George got her black knickers!

**MasterHarper Menolly:** Yay! Glad you liked the knickers! How was this one?


	4. Dancing in the Rain

Chapter 4

Fred, Angelina, George, Alicia, Katie, and Oliver filed out of the locker rooms and onto the field. The girls all started to splash around in the puddles, but the guys just stood there looking confused.

"Oh come on! You guys are no fun!" Angelina grabbed Fred's hands and tried to get him to move, but he just continued to stand there.

"You're not going to just stand there, are you?" Katie asked Oliver, who just shrugged. "Wait! We need music! Angelina you have the honor!"

Angelina smiled mischievously and took out her wand. She muttered something and a stereo appeared. She touched a button and music started to blare from the speakers:

_Do I stress you out?_

_My sweater is on backwards and inside out_

_And you say how appropriate_

_I don't want to dissect everything_

_I don't meant to pick you apart you see_

_But I can't help it_

_There I go jumping before the gunshot has gone off_

_Slap me with a splintered ruler_

_And it would knock me to the floor if I weren't there already_

_If only I could hunt the hunter_

Katie, Angelina, and Alicia smiled and started to sing. Katie grabbed Oliver's hands and they started to dance. Angelina turned to Fred, who swallowed hard. She smirked at him, before pulling him to her and dancing. Fred blushed five shades of red as he realized what Angelina was wearing ... or wasn't wearing. Angelina blushed at her own forwardness; but Fred did look fabulous. Being in the middle of changing when they left the locker room, he was wearing a pair of shorts and nothing more. Being a Beater had given him strong arms, perfectly shaped pecs, and a six-pack. Meanwhile, Alicia was noticing the same thing about George, but neither of them was as forward as Angelina.

"Oh bloody hell you two!" Katie shook her head and, grinning mischievously, walked over and pushed them together. "Much better!" They started to sway slightly to the music.

An all I really want is some patience 

_A way to calm the angry voice_

_And all I really want is deliverance_

_Do I wear you out?_

_You must wonder why I'm relentless and all strung out_

_I'm consumed by the chill of solitary_

_I'm like Estella_

_I like to reel it in and then spit it out_

_I'm frustrated by your apathy_

_And I am frightened by the corrupted ways of this land_

_If only I could meet the Maker_

_And I am fascinated by the spiritual man_

_I am humbled by his humble nature_

_"_Come here, your feet will freeze!" Oliver smiled at Katie and she returned it. She walked over and jumped up on his back, to get her bare feet out of the cold puddles. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

What I wouldn't give to find a soulmate 

_Someone else to catch this drift_

_And what I wouldn't give to meet a kindred_

Every one of the Spectacular Six thought 'I've already found my soul mate' in that moment. Angelina and Fred smiled contentedly, Alicia and George blushed, and Oliver and Katie tried to shake the thought from their heads.

Enough about me let's talk about you for a minute 

_Enough about you, let's talk about life for a while_

_The conflicts, the craziness and the sound of pretenses_

_Falling all around ... all around_

"Hey, let's not get caught in that lightning." Katie laughed smacked Oliver's shoulder playfully. With a flick of her wand, the stereo started to follow them. They continued to dance the whole way up to the castle, music blaring loudly.

Why are you so petrified of silence 

_Here can you handle this?_

_Did you think about your bills, your ex, your deadlines_

_Or when you think you're gonna die?_

_Or did you long for the next distraction?_

_And all I need now is intellectual intercourse_

_A soul to dig the h9ole much deeper_

_And I have no concept of time other than it is flying_

_If only I could kill the killer_

They ran through the entrance hall and passed the Great Hall without stopping. All the students and teachers, who were at dinner, turned to watch the strange sight pass. First came Oliver, carrying Katie on his back. Oliver was laughing uncontrollably and Katie was belting out the lines of the song. Then came George who was attempting to dance and walk at the same time, followed by Alicia who was laughing at him between singing. Then Angelina, singing as well, was holding Fred's hand behind her. Fred was laughing and trying to dance as well. Lastly, came a floating stereo that was still blaring the song. To make it all the more strange, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina had all been wearing nothing but a brazier and shorts and Fred, George, and Oliver had been wearing shorts ... only shorts.

All I really want is some peace man 

_A place to find a common ground_

_An all I really want is a wavelength_

_All I really want is some comfort_

_A way to get my hands untied_

_An all I really want is some justice_

They reached the Girls' Dormitory as the song finished the last few lines and all collapsed on the floor, laughing. Katie was leaning against her bed and Oliver was lying on the floor with his head in her lap. She giggled as his hair tickled her exposed tummy. Fred and Angelina were slumped against the wall, leaning on each other laughing. George and Alicia were sitting on Katie's bed, holding hands and blushing but laughing nonetheless.

When they all finally regained their composure, the girls grinned proudly. "Told you it would be worth it!" Katie smiled down at Oliver and ran her fingers through his sopping wet hair. "I'm gonna take a shower, you're welcome to stay here." Katie smiled at Oliver as she pushed his head off her lap and stood up.

"Hmm, yeah, a hot shower sounds good. Since we missed dinner why don't we all meet back here in half an hour and make Katie conjure us up some food." Alicia smiled at George and got up, but not before pecking him on the cheek.

Everyone nodded in agreement; Katie was the best with Transfiguration or whatever you wanted to call conjuring things up. The boys rose and started for their own Dormitory as the girls found towels and clean clothes and proceeded to the showers.

**Half an hour Later**

"I'm bloody freezing!" Katie sat down on the floor with her friends; they were all sitting in a circle eating sandwiches. She had a cup of tea clutched in her shivering hands.

"I told you!" Oliver shook his head and wrapped Katie up in his arms, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her.

"Oh, please Oliver, not a lecture!" Fred smirked at Oliver as Angelina, George, and Alicia laughed.

"Yeah," Katie sneezed loudly into a tissue, "You have to adbit that you enjoyed it!" Katie sneezed repeatedly and took a long drink of tea.

"See, now you're sick ... but, yeah I did enjoy it."

"I'b not sick!" Katie sneezed again and sighed frustrated.

"Come on, I'll take you to Madame Pomfrey." Oliver got up and held out his hand for Katie. She glared up at him defiantly.

"I'b not sick, I already said that!"

"So the chills, repeated sneezes, clogged up nose, cough, it's all just coincidence that it happens all at once, right?" Oliver raised an eyebrow at her.

"No, I didn't say that. Its just ubb ... ok its just a little cold. Nothing to be worried about, Oliber!" He chuckled at the way her stuffed up nose made her pronounce things strangely.

"You are sick and you're going to Madame Pomfrey right now." Oliver folded his arms across his chest, stubbornly. Fred and Angelina snickered; Oliver turned to look at them and raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

"You two bicker like an old married couple." Everyone burst out laughing, except Oliver, who just blushed.

"Come on Kate! Madame Pomfrey, now!" Katie stopped laughing immediately and glared at him. He leaned over and dropped his voice so that only Katie could hear. "Katherine Anne Bell, you're going to the Hospital Wing right now!" Katie sighed and smiled, hearing his playful tone. She knew, after hearing her full name, that he was just worried about her.

"Oliber you are so stubborn!" Katie rolled her eyes as she grabbed his hand, letting him help her up. She followed him out of the Dormitory.

"Bets on how long it will take?" George smiled mischievously.

"Huh?" Angelina and Alicia looked at him with a confused expression.

"Before they're a couple, officially," Fred stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What are you talking about? They're best friends ... that's all." Alicia exchanged a confused glance with Angelina.

"Oh come on, 'Licia. Do you really believe that? I mean they're like ... perfect for each other." George smiled warmly.

"Yeah, Katie's the only one who can get him to calm down when we lose a game." Fred said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And Oliver's the only one who can get Katie to do something she doesn't want to do. Like just now. None of us would have been able to get Katie to go to the Hospital Wing ... except Oliver." Alicia and Angelina were staring at the twins with wide-eyed expressions.

"What ... what have you heard ... from Oliver?" Angelina stuttered.

"Hmm? We've heard nothing. He doesn't have to say it for us to know that he's really smitten with her." Fred looked at his sandwich thoughtfully, before popping it into his mouth whole.

"She has changed a lot over the summer." Angelina could see where the twins were coming from, but she didn't really believe them.

"But I don't think she could ever see him as more than a friend. He's practically her brother." Alicia shook her head.

"That's what we thought about him too, but apparently, by some stroke of cosmic luck, we were wrong." George laughed at his brother.

"Don't push it, Fred Weasley! I'll not have you messing up their friendship!" Alicia glared at Fred warningly.

"Who me? I wouldn't mess it up, just make it a little bit better."

"Yeah, we'd just give them a little nudge in the right direction." George smiled at Alicia, but it soon faded as she turned her glare to him.

"You will, under no circumstances, become involved in anything of the sort!"

"Alicia's right. Until they both decide to ... do whatever, we need to stay out of it. Katie would never forgive us if she found us meddling in her ... love life?" Angelina made a face; thinking of Katie's love life and Oliver in the same thought was ... well against the natural order!

A/N: How was this? I figured you all needed a more objective view of the dancing in the rain part; Oliver's wasn't exactly all that explanatory. What do you think of the last part about the twins? I'm not sure if I like it or not ... I might have to re-do this chapter. Well, you tell me! Review please!

Disclaimer: For some reason, I feel like I'm being repetitive and redundant, redundantly so. But I'll say it anyways: I do not own Harry Potter!


	5. The Third Degree

Chapter 5

"Hi, Katie." Katie looked up from her Charms essay to see Cedric Diggory standing in front of her. The past week had gone incredibly fast; it amazed her that she already had a pile of homework even though they had only been back in school for just under a week. Although, she was extremely happy that tomorrow was Saturday, and for once she didn't have Quidditch practice.

Her stomach did a somersault as she said, "Hey Cedric. Can I help you with something?" Cedric looked at her poised quill and the half-written essay in front of her and an expression of realization came over his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you're busy I'll just—"

"NO, no. I'm not busy at all." Katie smiled warmly and put her quill down. She took her bag off the seat next to her so Cedric could sit down. He looked at the chair and, smiling, sat down in it.

"Well I was just wonder if ... I mean if you're not going with anyone that is ... and not that you wouldn't be ... I mean there's lots of guys that would want to take you ... to Hogsmeade ... but –"

"Cedric are you trying to ask me to go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend?"

"Well, yeah. Would you?" Cedric swallowed hard and smiled sheepishly.

"I'd love to!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you outside the Gryffindor Common Room tomorrow at 10. Okay?" Katie smiled and willed herself not to blush.

"Okay, 10 o'clock. It's a date." Katie's stomach did innumerable flip-flops as Cedric smiled, got up, and walked out of the Library.

**Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory**

"You're what?!"

"Chill out, Angie. Katie what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Cedric Diggory and I are going to Hogsmeade tomorrow ... together!" Angelina and Alicia squealed as Katie smiled and continued rifling through her wardrobe.

"Oh my god!" Angelina grinned from ear to ear.

"Cedric Diggory is like the hottest thing since ... Oliver!"

"Yes?" Oliver, Fred, and George were standing in the doorway. The girls burst out laughing when they realized who had spoken. "Did you need me for something?"

"No, no. Alicia was just saying that Cedric Diggory is the hottest thing since you!"

"Oh, that hurts Katie. It really does." Fred and George put their hands over their hearts and gave Katie a mock hurt expression. "Why the sudden interest in Diggory, anywho?" Fred and George noticed the nervous expression on Oliver's face as they all sat down.

"He asked Katie to Hogsmeade!"

"Alicia!" Katie chucked a pillow at Alicia and it hit her square in the face.

"What?!"

"Arg! Now he'll get the third degree!"

Oliver had apparently not been listening for the past few seconds and asked, "Cedric Diggory? I thought he was in love with that Chang chick?" Oliver's voice sounded hopeful, but Katie was too wrapped up in her wardrobe to notice.

"Nah, that was over last year." Angelina waved her hand dismissively.

"And what do you know about this Diggory bloke?" Fred's expression had turned serious. What most people didn't know was that the Weasley twins were fiercely protective of their friends. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia hadn't had a boyfriend that didn't go through Oliver and the twins.

"See what you did Alicia?!" Katie sighed and threw herself on her bed dramatically.

"Well you didn't honestly think he was going to get off the hook did you?" George asked.

"Well no, I suppose not. But I was hoping that we could have one date before the investigation!" Katie looked at Oliver who was being uncharacteristically silent. She was about to ask him what was wrong, but decided to do it later. She got up and started looking through her trunk again.

"That's silly. If he can't survive the twins then he doesn't deserve you." Alicia smiled as she started to look through her own wardrobe.

"But since when is Diggory in the running at all?" George asked through a shirt that had hit him in the face and stuck there in the girls' mad rush to find Katie the perfect outfit. He casually removed it, examined it for a moment, and then threw it on the ground.

"He's never not been in the running!" Katie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He's hot, smart, sweet, nice."

"In short, he's perfect!" Angelina exclaimed excitedly before noticing Fred's confused, angry expression. "Oh Fred, he's perfect for Katie, not me!" Fred smiled at Angelina fondly as she turned and started rifling through her clothes again.

"That's it!" Katie held up a black top triumphantly.

"Not that one!" Alicia and Angelina simultaneously wrinkled up their noses. Anticipating the onslaught of even more estrogen-induced banter, Fred, George, and Oliver exchanged meaningful looks and quickly left the Girls' Dormitory.

**Who Knows Where**

Before Cedric knew what was happening he found himself in a chair with a bright white light shining down on his head. The room around him was pitch black; he didn't know there was anyone else there until he heard a voice.

"Is it true that you've asked one, Katherine Bell, to accompany you to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"Umm ... yes." It was more of a question than a statement, but the voice continued seemingly unphased.

"What prompted you to do this?"

"Well Katie's nice and beautiful and umm ... smart." Cedric swallowed hard, wracking his brain trying to figure out what was going on.

"Do you intend to follow up and pursue a more serious relationship with one, Katherine Bell?"

"I don't know ... I hope so." The voice tisked, but continued. The questions went on for what seemed like hours. They encompassed everything from Katie, to Cedric's family, his marks, everything you could think of, especially his relationship with Cho Chang and why it had so abruptly ended.

"Would you take advantage of one, Katherine Bell, in any way?" Cedric almost recoiled at the thought of doing something like that to Katie.

"No," he said definitively. Suddenly the lights switched on, making him groan and close his eyes tightly. He squinted and looked around the room; he was in the Room of Requirement, although he had no idea how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was being in the Library reading up on a growth Potion. Standing in front of him were Fred and George Weasley and Oliver Wood. The latter was looking a tad bit green, while the twins smiled mischievously.

"Thanks for your time Cedric. Remember to be true to that answer." Before he could say anything, they were gone.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"Hey you." Katie flopped down on the couch and laid her head in Oliver's lap. He put down the book he was reading and smirked at her.

"Hi. Something I can help you with?"

"Well I have a couple questions for you." Katie smiled as Oliver ran a hand through her long, dark brown hair.

"Ok, shoot."

"Firstly, you didn't torture him too badly did you?" Oliver laughed; he knew exactly whom Katie was talking about.

"No, Diggory is still in one piece, don't worry about that."

"Ok and secondly, what's with you today?" Oliver looked away quickly, avoiding Katie's eyes. "Oliver?"

"Nothing." Katie sighed, sat up, and, putting her hands on either side of his head, forced him to look at her.

"Ol', if you really think I'm going to believe that then you need to get your brain checked out." Oliver sighed and took Katie's hands with his own, but didn't look away.

"I'm just worried about you is all ... he doesn't deserve you, you know." Katie smiled and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her best friend.

"Oliver, according to you no mere mortal deserves me. You've done your investigation and have obviously not found anything exceedingly abnormal about him." Oliver sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, nothing mad crazy. But still, Kate."

"I know. But you have to trust my judgment, okay?"

"It's not just that easy. I may trust your judgment, but that doesn't mean I trust him!" Katie squeezed Oliver's hands reassuringly.

"I promise you that if anything, anything at all, happens that I'm not completely okay with, I will call you immediately." Oliver forced a smile.

"Okay, I guess that's the best I'll get out of you." Katie laughed and hugged Oliver tightly.

"You up to getting you ass whopped in a game of chess?"

"Always." Oliver smiled and Katie returned it as she took out a chessboard and started setting it up.

A/N: Awww don't you just love Oliver? Hope you all liked this chapter. Although, I'm a little hurt I didn't get any reviews for chapters 3 or 4 ... I hope that changes soon! Please review!


	6. Zero Bars and Me Time

Chapter 6

"I'll see you guys later." Katie waved and disappeared behind the portrait. Oliver grumbled subconsciously in his seat by the window.

"Hungry there Oliver?" Fred raised an eyebrow at his friend.  
"Eh?"

"Eh? Eh? Is that all you Scots ever say? Eh? But what was with the deathly growl anyways?"

"What? Oh, nothing, hungry like you said." Fred rolled his eyes, not believing Oliver's poor attempt at an excuse in the least. What clued him even more than the lame excuse was the fact that Oliver had no retribution at Fred for making fun of his accent, something that normally sent him dangerously close to over the edge.

"Let's get going then, I don't want to be late and have McGonagall chew us out." Alicia got up, donned her cloak and started for the portrait hole. Her friends, all except Oliver, grumbled and followed. When they were almost out the portrait hole, George noticed that Oliver was still sitting in his chair, supposedly thinking.

"Oy, Oliver! We're leaving now!" Oliver looked up, startled.

"Oh, sorry, I umm zoned out." George rolled his eyes and the five of them started downstairs. They reached the courtyard to find almost all of Hogwarts waiting for carriages. After a half an hour of looking, they finally managed to find an empty one.

"Finally!" Angelina sighed exasperatedly and they were all about to climb in when Oliver gave them a strange look. He looked at Angelina's hand, entangled with Fred's, and at Alicia's arm, twisted around George's. He chuckled to himself and decided, for the sake of remaining emotionally unscarred, that he would use the day to get some quality "me time" as Katie loved to call it.

"I'll see you guys later. How about 5 at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer?" They gave him confused looks, but nodded and clambered into their carriage. It was practically impossible for anyone to convince Oliver Wood to do something when he had already decided against it, save for one person; Katie. So they felt that since Katie wasn't there, it would be better for everyone and would waste less energy if they didn't argue with him. Oliver walked off and, after another half hour of searching, found another empty carriage. He sighed, relieved, when he climbing into it; he hadn't run into Katie and Cedric.

**Hogsmeade**

"So you've got one older brother?"

"Yeah, Paddy. He's great; one of my best friends. He's starting with Pudlemere United this season." Katie smiled proudly and willed herself not to blush as Cedric took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

"I bet he's preparing to have his little sister join him there in two years?" Katie blushed openly at this and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, you know you'll get scouted. It's practically common knowledge." Katie giggled rather girlishly, much to her disgust.

"I don't think so, but even if I do who's to say I would accept?"

"Ohh, Katie Bell turning down Pudlemere United? Now that's an intriguing idea." Cedric flashed Katie a charming smile.

"What about you? Any siblings?"

"Yeah, baby sister, a year old." Cedric smiled proudly as he pulled out his wallet and showed Katie a picture of a baby girl crawling around on a pink blanket.

"Oh! She's adorable! What's her name?"

"Elizabeth, but we call her Beth." Cedric smiled again as he put away his wallet and pulled Katie into Honeydukes. "Now what's your favorite candy?"

"Hmm ... well I'm afraid of Ice Mice because Fred charmed a huge box of them to chase me." Cedric laughed heartily and Katie swatted his arm. "It's not funny! It was dark and I couldn't see what they were!"

Cedric shook his head smiling and said, "So Ice Mice are off the list. What else?"

Katie glanced around and, leaning closer to Cedric, whispered, "If you promise not to tell anyone – I get enough shit about my muggle stuff as it is – I'm in love with Zero bars!" Cedric gave Katie a very confused look. "Here I'll show you." She pulled him out of Honeydukes and started walking, quite rapidly, to the opposite end of Hogsmeade.

"Where are we going?"

"I found this tiny little shop on the outskirts that sells muggle candy. You have got to try a Zero bar!"

**Zonko's Joke Shop**

"What was with Oliver this morning?" Fred asked his twin over the shelf of Exploding Snap cards he was looking at. Angelina and Alicia had gone to Madame Malkins (A/N: sry, dunno the right spelling and too much of a lazy ass to go look it up) and to avoid any increased amounts of estrogen rubbing off on them, Fred and George had decided to go to Zonko's.

"I don't know ... I reckon he's still pissed about the whole Katie Cedric thing. He's always hated Diggory before this. It's probably just intensified all of those old Quidditch rivalries now that Cedric's got Kaite." George furrowed his brow thoughtfully and continued to look through some wet-start fireworks.

"Well, he doesn't have Katie yet ... especially not if we have anything to say about it." Fred smiled mischievously at a box of Exploding Snap cards before picking them up.

"Oh, no. I'm not getting Alicia, or any of them for that matter, pissed at me. We'll just have to deal with Oliver ... Katie would kill us if she found us messing with her love life." Fred nodded in agreement; knowing Katie, avoiding meddling in her love life also meant avoiding castration.

"Wonder how long it will be before they have a row?"

"I give it two weeks." George picked up several fireworks and started towards the counter.

"I think he's got more control than that ... I say three weeks." Fred chose a few more items and started after his brother.

"OK, you're on."

**Outside Honeydukes**

Oliver looked down at his half-eaten Cockroach Cluster, disgusted, and threw it in a nearby trashcan. This day had been a complete waste; between avoiding the love birds (Fred, George, Angelina, and Oliver) and avoiding Katie and Cedric (he refused to acknowledge that it was even possible for them to be 'love birds'), he hadn't had time to do anything. He shook his head; why did it bother him so much that Katie was out there having fun with Cedric?

_She's had boyfriends before ... I've never wanted to murder one of them so badly though,_ he thought. He had tried to convince himself that all the extra hatred was due to the fact that he and Cedric were Quidditch rivals, but he knew that it had nothing to do with Cedric. Katie had changed a lot over the summer ... and apparently so had Oliver. He knew that even if Cedric were the most deserving person of Katie in the entire world he would still be having this same conversation with himself.

**The Outskirts of Hogsmeade**

"This is fabulous!" Cedric said through a mouth of candy. Katie laughed and wiped a bit of caramel off his chin with her finger, and then licked it off her own finger.

"I told you! It's my favorite!"

"But I don't get it." Cedric swallowed and continued. "Your Mum and Dad are both pure-bloods, how do you get exposed to all this muggle stuff?"

"Well my Mum's a Squib, so my grandparents sent her to a muggle school and she lived with some distant, muggle relatives for a good part of her life. So she might as well be a muggle; she knows everything a normal muggle would know, but still lives and knows about the wizarding world." Katie smiled proudly, thinking of her mother. "So I've got the best of both worlds; muggle culture and all this other good stuff," Katie held up her unfinished Zero bar, "and I can still do magic. What about you? Your parents pure-blood?" Cedric hid a smile; his parents were not purebloods, but he knew someone like Katie wasn't going to take the "Malfoy way" and begrudge him for it. He knew she would look at him no differently; hell her best friend, Oliver Wood, wasn't a pureblood.

"Nah, Mum's muggle-born and my Dad's got wizarding on both sides of his family, but he's not a pure-blood by any means." He smiled as Katie wrapped her arm around his. "So what do you want to do now?"

"Well we've hit almost every store except ... oh! Let's go to that new Quidditch shop! Please?!" Cedric laughed at Katie's pleading expression; as if he was honestly going to deny her requests to go into a Quidditch store.

"Of course! I've been dying to go there, but I wasn't sure if it would be rude to ask." He grinned sheepishly as Katie rolled her eyes.

"You've got to remember that my dad and my brother are absolutely obsessed with the game, besides all my friends. So I'm about as obsessed with Quidditch as is healthy." They both laughed and Cedric couldn't help thinking how perfectly they fit together. Besides the obvious personality complements, her slender hands seemed to fit perfectly into his larger, callused ones.

**The Three Broomsticks**

"Oy! Oliver!" Oliver smiled as Fred waved him over, but his smiled soon faded as he noticed that sitting at the table, along with Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia were Katie and Cedric Diggory. He almost stopped, but for appearance's sake put on a fake smile and strode over.

"Hullo!" He sat down across from Katie, but avoided her eyes. "How was your day?"

"Besides the shrieks that nearly busted our ear drums in the bookstore, okay." Seeing Oliver's confused expression, Fred decided to elaborate. "The girls found a new book ... something they'd been waiting for. Bloody hell, I don't know what it was. All I know is that they saw it, shrieked louder than you'd think possible, and then bought about seven copies." Oliver, Fred, and George laughed heartily; their laughter was increased even more when Angelina and Alicia looked up from their conversation with Katie and gave the three of them confused expressions.

The multiple conversations continued, but Oliver found himself removed for the moment. He glanced at Katie; apparently all that searching the girls had done for the perfect outfit had paid off. She was wearing a pair of tight, but modest, black pants, and a red, cashmere sweater. Accompanied by a trench coat and black boots, she definitely stood out, something Oliver knew Katie would be immensely happy about. He watched her for a little longer, but forced himself to look away as Katie and Cedric shared a fond glance.

**Outside the Gryffindor Common Room**

"Thanks, Cedric. I had a really brilliant time. I hope the twins and Oliver didn't give you too much trouble the other day." Katie looked at the floor and smiled sheepishly.

"Well I can't say I wasn't surprised, but ..." Cedric put a finger under Katie's chin, pulling her up to look at him, and stepped closer, "you were definitely worth it." He smiled and, with his finger still under Katie's chin, pulled her face closer to his. He leant down and kissed her gently, cupping her face in one hand and pressing the other to her hip. Katie smiled against his lips and slid her arms around his shoulders. She pulled back after a moment, smiling. She gave him another quick kiss and then turned around, said the password, and disappeared behind the portrait.

A/N: Well how did you all like it?? Please, don't flame me for making Katie and Cedric get together ... it has to happen for the plot to work, just trust me! Anywho ... I hope I was as humorous in this chappie as I have been in the past, but with all this Arthurian Legends stuff (for English) invading my mind, I dunno how well that worked out. You tell me! The next chapter is all planned out and all I have to do is write it down ... so it should be up before the end of the week. Please review!!

**Debby:** Mucho thanko, I will go back and fix those errors ... eventually, haha. I'm so flattered that you think my humor is similar to the amazing JK's!! Merci beaucoup!

**Skybluepink:** Haha, yes. I'm assuming you liked those lines? Anything amusing in this chapter?


	7. Don't Call Me Kate

Chapter 7

"Well?!" Katie smirked as she sat down between Angelina and Alicia, who were giving her expectant faces.

"What?" she asked as innocently as she could.

"Oh don't give us that! We want the juicy details!" Angelina wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Katie laughed.

"Yeah, come on! How did it go?" The twins chuckled but didn't make any comments about Alicia's question. Oliver, on the other hand, looked like he was about to give himself a hernia.

"He was really sweet and everything—" Oliver stood up suddenly and started for the Boys' Dormitory. "Oliver!" But he either did not hear or ignored Katie's call. "What's wrong with him?!"

"Don't worry about it Katie." Fred and George were no longer smiling at Angelina and Alicia's questions; they looked uncharacteristically somber and serious.

"We'll see you in the morning." George leaned over and gave Alicia a quick kiss on the cheek before departing. Fred smiled, kissed Angelina on the head, and then followed his twin.

Katie sighed and buried her head in her hands. "I wish I could say I had a horrible time and avoid all this fighting. But ... I can't, it would be a lie." Angelina rubbed Katie's back comfortingly.

"Come on, let's forget Oliver. We'll go upstairs, have a cup of tea, and you can tell us all about your date." Katie managed at weak smile for Alicia and the three of them started upstairs. Once upstairs alone, Katie seemed to regain some of the warm fuzzy feeling she had lost when Oliver stormed out.

"So, how did it go?" Angelina sat down on her bed and motioned for Katie and Alicia to do the same.

"Oh my god! He is the sweetest guy ever! We talked the whole time, he said he wanted to get to know me." Katie grinned and spun around in a circle. It wasn't like Katie had never had a boyfriend before, but it had definitely been a while. With school and Quidditch taking up most of her time and the twins and Oliver hounding any prospective boyfriends, the chances weren't good. "And then I told him I was sorry about whatever the twins and Oliver did, and you know what he said?"

"What?!" Angelina and Alicia's eyes widened.

"He said I was worth it!" The girls shrieked and Katie smiled through her blushing. Katie sat down on the bed and starting telling them all about her fairy tale date with Cedric.

**The Great Hall**

"Oliver I just ran into the Hufflepuff captain in the hallway. He said they've got two players sick and since Harry's sick and the weather's so bad, he'd be willing to postpone." Katie sat down and started to fill her plate. Harry had come down with some kind of flu over the weekend. "I'm assuming we will, but I told him I'd talk to you anyways. I mean Harry looked pretty bad and the weather's absolutely horrid."

"No. Harry's getting fixed up as we speak and we've played in worse." Katie choked on her bacon and she, Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia stared at Oliver in shock. They looked out the window; it was hailing tennis-ball sized hail and practically pitch black, despite the fact that it was 9 AM.

"You can't be serious?!"

"Oh yes, Alicia. I'm quite serious." Oliver calmly chewed on a piece of toast, not meeting his friends' eyes.

"We'll all die!"

"We'll get struck by lightning!" Fred finished his brother's thought.

"You won't die. We don't have anything metal that would conduct the lightning. But, you're right there probably will be lighting." Oliver glanced over a copy of the Daily Prophet as he continued to calmly eat his breakfast.

"It's got to be 20 below with the wind chill!"

"We'll all get frostbite and never be able to play again!" Angelina and Alicia glared at their captain.

"No, it's probably only about 15 below, if you factor in wind chill and water. But you know that Medi-Wizards have ways to fix frostbite, you won't get any limbs hacked off." Oliver raised his eyebrows at the particularly good texture of the scrambled eggs.

"We won't be able to see anything!" George slapped his forehead in frustration as Oliver continued to eat serenely.

"We'll all get pelted to death by hail and Bludgers!" Fred gave Oliver a wide-eyed expression, which went unnoticed.

"Stop being so dramatic. We're playing Hufflepuff today and that's the final decision. We'll have better chances to win, besides, because, like Katie said, they've got two players out. We've trained in this weather, they haven't. That assures us the win and puts us ahead in points." Oliver looked up from his paper and gave them all a 'don't test me' expression, before turning the page and continuing to read.

"Oliver Wood! How dare you! You ... you're ... arg! Harry's sick! You ... you don't care about anything but your own fucking pride and winning the damn cup!" Oliver looked up from his paper, quite startled; it was the first thing Katie had said in a while.

"Kate, you know that's not true." He turned back to his paper.

"Don't you dare ignore me you asshole!" Oliver's eyes shot up from his paper, his shocked expression soon melted away into a glare. "You don't care about anything at all! All you want is to win the damn cup!" Katie turned to storm off, but stopped suddenly and turned around. "And _don't_ call me Kate!" Everyone's eyes got very, very wide. Oliver was the only person in the entire world that called Katie 'Kate'. It signified to the whole world just how close they really were; now she was taking that away from him.

"Katie?" Oliver called after her, but she was gone.

"Does that mean you're postponing the game?" Fred asked in a hopeful tone.

"No."

**Gryffindor Locker Rooms**

"Katie, we need to talk." Katie flipped her hair out of her face and looked around the door of her locker to find Oliver standing there, fully dressed in his Quidditch uniform, looking sullen.

"Well I can't expect you to call off the game now that we're all here and dressed. But do you want to apologize?"

"What? No!" Katie's neutral expression turned to a glare filled with almost as much anger as the one she used on Slytherins. Oliver unconsciously took a step backwards.

"Then we have nothing to talk about." Katie drew her hair up into a tight ponytail, slammed her locker shut, and then stormed away. Oliver turned around and gave Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia a helpless look, but they just glared at him. Oliver sighed and threw his arms in the air, storming off in the opposite direction as Kaite.

Fred glanced at Harry; he definitely wasn't looking too good. He was well enough to fly, in regular circumstances, but this was taking it a little bit far. Harry attempted a smile when he noticed that Fred was looking at him, but Fred just shook his head and, closing his locker, walked away.

**The Quidditch Field**

Oliver squinted, trying to make out what was happening at the other end of the field. _Bloody rain,_ he thought. The speaker was droned out by the wind and thunder, but he did hear the distinct bell that told him Gryffindor had scored. He glanced up at Harry, who was hovering a few yards above him scanning the field.

On the other side of the field, Katie had the Quaffle ... again. Hufflepuff was bad, no they were horrible, but in this weather they had no chance against her. It was becoming increasingly hard to pass, so Katie did most of the scoring on her own. She tucked the Quaffle securely under her arm and started flying towards the rings. The Hufflepuff keeper didn't see her until she was almost in scoring range.

He turned his broom and shot straight for her, attempting to block the shot she had just threw. Katie didn't realize he was about to collide with her until it was too late. He was almost on top of her when an arm shot out and pushed her out of the way. She reeled for a moment, before regaining control of her broom.

She looked around frantically; hovering above her was George Weasley. He bowed his head slightly as she gave him a grateful look.

"Be more careful, Katie." George yelled, or at least that's what Katie was supposed to hear. She say his mouth move, but couldn't hear was he was saying. Dismissing it, she flew down to the ground below the hoops were the Quaffle was lying idle. She picked it up and started to go for another shot.

**Two Hours Later**

It took a good 10 minutes to get the signal to all of the players that a time-out had been called. Oliver touched down and waited for his team; he shivered involuntarily against the cold. Everyone finally landed and walked over to him. Katie looked as if she was about to collapse, and no one else was in a much better state.

"She's scored about 10 times, but we can't go on forever," Fred explained. He cast Katie a comforting look but she just shivered and stared at the ground. She didn't really know what she was supposed to do; she couldn't see anything well enough to pass to Angelina or Alicia. The Hufflepuff Chasers were only vaguely aware of who possessed the Quaffle, but she didn't want to risk them getting possession and then scoring. She couldn't just sit there holding the Quaffle; she had to do something with it. So scoring as many times as possible was really her only option. But all this was for naught if Harry didn't catch the snitch.

They all shivered constantly as they stood there; every inch of their bodies was drenched to the bone. Their clothes were completely soaked; you could have bathed in all the water that would later be squeezed out of them. Oliver sighed as he looked at the pale faces, made slightly red by the cold and wind.

"You've got to catch that Snitch really bloody soon." Angelina stared intently at Harry, who nodded.

"Its too hard to see anything!" Alicia wailed.

"Don't get yourself into hysterics. Harry, catch that Snitch! The rest of you will just have to continue what you were doing. Weasleys, watch out for the girls and try and make sure they don't get hit with anything. Ladies, keep the Quaffle out of Hufflepuff hands!" Oliver nodded and swung a leg over his broom. The rest did the same and in seconds they were back up in the air.

**One Hour Later**

It was quickly becoming hopeless; the weather had gotten steadily worse as the game dragged on and on. Oliver could no longer even hear the bell to signal a Gryffindor goal, so he just sat there, flying back and forth in front of the hoops to keep him warm. The constant thunder and the drumming of the rain was deafening. He suddenly wished he were inside, with all his friends, in front of a roaring fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. Pushing such thoughts out of his head, he concentrated at the task at hand; winning the Quidditch Game.

By some extraordinary stroke of luck, Harry saw the Snitch shimmer a few feet in front of him when lightning struck. He was off within seconds; he reached out his hand and closed his fist around the tiny, golden ball. He raised it in the air and sighed heavily. But this was all a little bit too late.

Near the Hufflepuff rings, Katie was scoring yet again. The Hufflepuff Keeper looked like he was about to give up; Katie was near that point as well, but her Gryffindor pride would never allow her to admit that. Just as she raised her arm, holding the Quaffle, to throw it into the center ring, a Bludger shot out of the darkness. Katie didn't even realize it was a Bludger until an intense pain in her side told her it had connected with her ... and it had connected with her very hard indeed. Katie blacked out from the pain, rolled off her broom and fell thirty feet to the ground below.

"Oh my god! Katie!" George, who had been attempting to watch and help Katie and Alicia, flew directly down to the ground. Oliver and the rest of the team touched down near him, smiling triumphantly as Harry waved the Snitch in the air. The crowd was cheering, or what was left of it, but whatever noise they were making was drowned out.

"Is Katie alright George?" Oliver asked in a calm tone as Madame Hooch and the Hufflepuff team came over and shook his hand.

"Bloody hell she's not! She just fell thirty feet!" Everyone's eyes widened; Fred, Angelina, and Alicia were suddenly hit with a wave of realization. They had heard a faint cry and seen something fall to the ground, but the fact that it was Katie had never entered their mind.

Oliver was at her side in seconds, he knelt down next to her and rolled her over onto her back. He put his face close to hers, trying to hear her breathing. He watched her chest, praying that he would see it moving slowly up and down ... but he didn't. He heard nothing and saw no movement. He leaned over the limp body of Katherine Anne Bell and let out a cry of frustration as tears pricked his eyes.

A/N: Mwahahahaha! I'm such an evil person! If I was really mean, I wouldn't update for like weeks ... but I'm not. I've already started the next chapter. But come on people, what do you honestly think is going to happen? Anyways, please review! This chapter was bloody hard to write for some reason. I hate writing about games ... sigh. What did you think?!

**MasterHarperMenolly: **Sorry about the bust on the date ... there will be lots more fluff between them soon. (That is ... if Katie lives of course, mwaha!) How did you like this chapter?!

Disclaimer: As often as I like to think that I do own Harry Potter ... sadly, I don't. So don't sue!


	8. Things Left Unsaid

Chapter 8

"Katie please! Katie wake up! Please! Katie don't leave me! Katie ... Kate you can't do this, please!" Angelina felt tears prick her eyes as she watched Oliver sob over Katie's limp body. Fred stepped forward to try and pull him away, but Oliver just pushed him away. "NO! Katie?" Just then, Madame Hooch stepped forward. She took one look at Katie and an expression of anger; shock ... maybe even fear came over her face.

"Get to the infirmary, Wood." Madame Hooch bent over Katie, hugging her close, and disapparated. Oliver stood up immediately and started running towards the school. Angelina, Alicia, Fred, and George ran after him.

**The Hospital Wing**

"You can't all be in here, you must leave." Madame Pomfrey tried to push the five people out, but they refused to leave.

"Please," was all Oliver said and he said it over and over again. His eyes were fixed on Katie's bed around which half the professors were gathered, including Dumbledore. They were talking in hushed tones and glancing at each other nervously.

"Fine, one of you may stay. The rest of you get out!" Madame Pomfrey turned around and walked back to Katie's bed.

"I'll stay." Oliver started towards Katie's bed, but Angelina caught his arm.

"Over my dead body! Its your fault she's here!" Oliver looked up at her, blinking repeatedly, as if just realizing that what she said was, indeed, true.

"Angelina ..."

"No, Alicia. You go with Fred and George, I'll stay here. Fred, owl Paddy." Fred nodded. Alicia was already holding George's arm, so he gently led her out of the Hospital Wing. It seemed as if George was the only thing holding Alicia together. Fred grabbed Oliver around the shoulders and gingerly led him after George and Alicia. Angelina sighed loudly; she looked down at her clothes and at the clothes of her friends. They were still in their Quidditch uniforms, drenched to the bone, and covered in mud.

"Miss Johnson, you may sit here until they are done." Madame Pomfrey motioned to a chair near the window, opposite Katie's bed.

Once outside, Oliver sat down against the wall. He had said nothing since Angelina yelled at him; he was increasingly pale and his eyes had gotten very wide. He looked distant; as if he didn't know what was going on around him.

"You should go shower and get some clean clothes." Fred looked at Alicia; she was shivering, not to mention the mud that covered a good percentage of her body.

"We should all get the chance to shower but –"

"You go, when you get back I'll go." Alicia nodded and started to turn around, faltering slightly. "George." George exchanged a glance with his brother before turning around. He put his arm firmly around Alicia's waist and helped her up the stairs. Fred looked back at the person next to him.

"Oliver ..."

"I did this, Fred. I did this to her. If I hadn't been so arrogant and prideful ... I should have postponed the game. She asked me to!" Oliver buried his head in his hands and his body started to shake with silent sobs. Fred sat down next to him and put his arm around Oliver's shoulders, just letting him cry.

**Two Hours Later**

"Professor?" Angelina stood up as Dumbledore turned to leave. The other professors had left a few minutes ago.

"Ah, yes Miss Johnson."

"Is ... is she ..." Angelina pushed back the tears; she couldn't make herself finish the sentence.

"Dead? Not currently Miss Johnson." Angelina felt a wave of relief, but it was bittersweet; the words 'not currently' rang in her ears.

"What's ... what ..."

"Please, sit down." Dumbledore motioned for the chair and Angelina obeyed. He pulled up another chair and sat down across from her. "That Bludger hit Miss Bell extremely hard. Normally it wouldn't have caused anything ... like this. But with the added strain that had been put on her body, she's lucky to be in this state."

"What exactly is this state?" asked Angelina, finding her voice momentarily.

"She has internal bleeding. Was she under any stress before the game?" Angelina almost laughed.

"Stress, yeah. Her and her best friend had just had a huge fight concerning the game." Dumbledore nodded and played with his beard absentmindedly.

"Well, coupled with exhaustion, hypothermia, and stress the Bludger did quite a bit of damage." He reached out and took Angelina's hand, squeezing it. "She hemorrhaged; we were able to stop the bleeding but I don't know if that will be enough. She lost a lot of blood but there's nothing else we can do except make her comfortable and hope she heals on her own. We will simply have to wait and see." This was as much as Angelina could take; she buried her head in her hands and burst into tears. "Go, sit by her and hold her hand. She may find comfort in that if she does indeed know what is going on. If not, I take it her subconscious will still be happier if it knows you are here." Angelina nodded, got up and walked over to the chair next to Katie's bed.

An hour later, Angelina vaguely heard the door of the Hospital Wing open and close again. She didn't turn around until she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my god, Katie." Angelina stood up and whirled around to see Patrick, Katie's brother, standing just inside the door of the Hospital Wing. His hand was over his mouth and she had never seen him so pale. "What ..." Angelina walked over to him and enveloped him in a tight hug. Taking his hand, she led him to Katie's bed and motioned for him to sit down in her chair. She explained everything that Dumbledore had told her as best she could. "Why did she play?" Patrick's voice was little more than a whisper.

"Oliver ... they had a row over it." Patrick nodded and then turned back to his sister, lying on her cot. Angelina patted his shoulder and then got up and walked out of the Hospital Wing. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, trying to calm her breathing. Fred was at her side in a second and wrapped his arms around her just as she broke down.

"Shh, it's going to be okay."

"No it's not!" she choked out. Fred allowed Angelina to slump to the floor and sat down next to her, rubbing her arms and making a good attempt at being comforting. She had done a simple drying spell on herself, but she was shivering now. Not from the cold, but from the realization of what was going on inside the Hospital Wing.

Angelina looked up, about to yell at Oliver, but then she saw him. He was still drenched from head to toe (he wouldn't let anyone perform a drying spell or give him dry clothes). He had his head resting on his knees, a silent sob shaking his body from time to time.

_I never got to tell her ... how much I loved her ... the last thing she said to me ... this is all my fault! I never got to tell her how sorry I was ... for everything!_ Oliver pounded his fists into his thighs repeatedly. He vaguely noticed his friends come over and sit down next to him. He heard several voices and felt several arms on him, apparently an attempt at comforting him. But he was far beyond comfort.

**Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory**

Angelina looked around, quite confused. She sat up to find both herself and Alicia in their Dormitory. Furthermore, Fred and George were curled up in the pair of cushy armchairs that flanked the window. Seconds later, realization hit; she remembered the events of the previous night as tears started to well up in her eyes. She slowly got out of bed and walked over to Fred; the armchair was plenty big enough for the both of them, so she curled up next to him. He stirred slightly and wrapped his arms tightly around Angelina. She buried her head in his chest, trying to fight back tears.

"It's going to be okay."

"I wish I were as confident as you," she choked out. Fred kissed her forehead and started to rub her back comfortingly. "Someone's there right?"

"Of course, Paddy's staying until tomorrow and he insisted that he stay with her. You two fell asleep outside the Hospital Wing so George and I brought you up here. McGonagall did a spell to change you into your pajama's." Angelina murmured something that sounded like 'thank you'. She noticed for the first time that she wasn't in her Quidditch uniform; not that she would have been worried about Fred doing something inappropriate. As perverted as he acted, he wasn't that kind of a guy.

Fred glanced at his brother; he wasn't quite sure how the two of them had kept it together all this time. George was the one who had seen her fall, but somehow he wasn't falling apart like everyone else, with the exception of Fred. Fred was amazed by both himself and his brother; he never would have guessed that they would be the strong ones in a situation like this. But then again, he never would have guessed that a situation like this would happen, not to them anyways. He glanced at the clock; 7 AM. _I've functioned on 2 hours of sleep before, I guess 3 ½ will have to do,_ he mused.

Suddenly he heard a sob, but it wasn't coming from Angelina. He looked over at Alicia's bed, where Alicia was sitting, head in her hands, shaking with each sob. Fred started to get up, but George was already there, enveloping Alicia in a tight hug.

George looked up to see Fred comforting Angelina in much the same way he was attempting to comfort Alicia. They exchanged a tired, sympathetic glance.

"You should talk to Oliver about what you said." Angelina murmured against Fred's chest. "I know you're angry ... but it's not his fault. He would never even dream of doing something that he knew would hurt her."

"He loves her ... you can tell." Angelina had picked up her head far enough to speak coherently.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Alicia's voice was shaky as she looked at George with a worried expression. He pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't know."

A/N: Poor Oliver! Wouldn't that be sad if he never got to tell her all those things? Mwahaha, I'm so evil! The next chapter is the confrontation with Paddy and Oliver, there will be some French in it (like real live French), but at the bottom of the chapter will be the translations, fyi!. How was this one? Sorry for the wait ... I've been sick and my teachers are still giving waaaaay too much homework. Time to Burn should be updated this weekend!

**ProtectorofMeladon:** Yay! So happy that you liked it! How was this chapter?

**Mibiscotti:** Haha, yeah, the friendship thing is really modeled after my friendship with this one guy ... but there's no like romance, just the friendship part. Cedric ... he's going to kind of end up as the villain, sry!

**HarryPotterFan670: **Thanks, how was this chapter?!

**DarkRose:** You never know, I just might. But no one seems very worried about whether or not Katie will die ... tear

**MasterHarperMenolly:** So glad you liked it! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by Tuesday ... since I had like no homework this weekend!

**KooKoo:** Yeah, Arthurian isn't so great when you have to study it with this crazy, old, feminist with rose-colored glasses (literally) that are way too big! But, we're done with them anywho ... now it's on to Julius Ceasar! Haha, yes the Cedric-hating reviews are starting to grow ... eventually, my dear.

Disclaimer: Although Harry Potter is abfab (that's absolutely fabulous for all you untrendy folk), Star Shmucks Coffee House doesn't own him!


	9. I Can't Do This

Chapter 9

Paddy heard a rustle behind him and picked his head up out of his hand to see what it was. He was clutching Katie's hand tightly as he turned around to find Oliver standing a few yards away. His face was drawn and he probably hadn't slept at since the accident. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and he was still wearing his very dirty Quidditch uniform. It had been nearly 24 hours since the accident and Katie still wasn't showing any progress.

"YOU!" Paddy stood up and glared at the 16-year-old standing in front of him. Oliver cowered in front of Katie's brother.

"How ... how is she?" he stammered.

"How dare you ask how she is?!" Oliver started to say something but Patrick stepped forward and grabbed his collar. "C'est toi defaut!" Oliver cringed; Katie's Mum was French and the family spoke a lot of French. Paddy had a tendency to speak it when he got extremely angry; it was like default mode because it was the first language he learned. "Tu contraindes elle jouer! Maintenant, j'ai détacher ma soeur seul! Parce que de toi!"

Oliver felt removed from the situation; he heard the words that Patrick was saying, though he didn't understand them, and he saw Patrick raise his fist. He vaguely had a feeling that he was going to be hit, but as he could still see Katie's limp body in the bed a few feet away, nothing else seemed to be all that important.

"Patrick! Stop!" Oliver came back down to earth as he felt someone rip Patrick off of him. "Patrick, chill out. Go sit with Katie, go on." Oliver looked at the red head that was standing in front of him; George Weasley. George pushed Paddy towards Katie's bed and, grabbing Oliver's arm, hauled him out of the Hospital Wing.

"What in the bloody hell was that?" Fred stared accusingly at Oliver. Angelina and Alicia were standing behind him, looking worried.

"He didn't do anything, Fred. Paddy attacked him, I can't say I blame him though." George sighed and started to lead Oliver back to the Gryffindor Dormitories.

"Where's Katie?! What's wrong?!" Cedric Diggory came sprinting down the hall towards the five friends. They rolled their eyes simultaneously; none of them particularly wanted to deal with Cedric at the moment.

"You guys go upstairs, I'll work things out." Everyone gave Fred grateful looks and started up the marble staircase. Angelina turned around and walked to him. She reached up and kissed him lightly.

"Thanks." Fred nodded and hugged her tightly before pushing her gently in the direction which George, Alicia, and Oliver had gone. He turned around to face a very worried looking Cedric Diggory.

"What happened to Katie?!"

"Chill out for a second, Diggory." Fred sighed and started explaining everything to Cedric.

**Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory**

Angelina and Alicia looked up to see George and Oliver come out of the bathroom; it had taken them a good half hour to convince Oliver to take a shower. Angelina and Alicia were sitting on George's bed, talking softly.

"Fred was here ... he said Paddy has to leave ... starting tonight we'll have to set up shifts on who will stay with her." Angelina was amazed at how steady her voice sounded. Oliver stared at her uncomprehendingly and George nodded.

"I can't stand this! We can't just sit here all bloody day! All I can fucking do is think about her ... god damn it ... this is so fucked up!" Alicia defiantly held back the tears for a moment, before they started to course freely down her cheeks. "And this is like World War III with ... damn this fucking day!" George walked over to her and pulled her up into a tight hug.

"Shh ... Katie's going to be okay."

"Practice." Everyone turned suddenly and looked down at Oliver in shock; it was the first thing he had said in a very long time. They vaguely remembered the fact that they had practice today. Oliver, who had been previously staring at the floor, raised his eyes to his friends'. His expression was far away and blank, as if he didn't understand the word he had just said.

"What was that, Oliver?"

"Practice ... without Katie?" A disgusted expression came over his face. "I can't do this ... guys?"

"Come here Oliver." Alicia and George sat down on the bed and Alicia motioned for Oliver to come sit with them. Oliver walked over and sat down reluctantly. "Look at me." Oliver slowly raised his face to look Alicia in the eye. "This is in no way your fault! Don't let anything anyone says convince you different! You had no idea any of this was going to happen, okay?"

"Sure." Alicia leaned over and enveloped Oliver in a tight hug. As horrible as she felt herself, she knew he must have been feeling ten times worse.

**Later that Night**

"I'm sorry, but I can't stand being in that room ... with all her stuff, it just makes me sad." Angelina sighed and snuggled closer to Fred. They were all in the Boy's Dormitory; Oliver was sitting, disengaged, on the window seat, and Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia were all sitting on the floor talking.

"You talk about it like she's dead. She's going to be fine."

"I wish I were as confident as you are, Fred." Fred attempted a smile and kissed Angelina's forehead.

Oliver stared out the window at the Quidditch Field; he sincerely wished that he had never set foot on it yesterday. But wishing things like that were pointless. "Hey, Paddy's leaving in half an hour. I'll take the first shift okay?"

"Hmm? Are you sure Oliver?" George asked as everyone gave him worried looks.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Truthfully, everyone was quite surprised at Oliver's sudden turn around. He was by no means close to being back to his old self, but no one expected that. He was, however, doing a lot better; he was talking again, occasionally. His expression was no longer the never-ending shocked, pale one it had been for so long.

**The Hospital Wing**

Oliver watched the gentle rise and fall of Katie's body; he suddenly remembered the moment yesterday, when he would have given his life to see that rise and fall. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and sighed. Out of the blue, a song he had heard Katie play on her stereo came to his head.

Lips are turning blue 

_A kiss that can't renew_

_I only dream of you_

_My beautiful_

_Tiptoe to your room_

_A starlight in the gloom_

_I only dream of you_

_And you never knew_

Tears started to well up in his eyes and he pushed them away angrily. He hated himself for making Katie play, he hated himself for not telling her what he really felt, and he hated ... bloody hell right now he hated the world.

Sing for absolution 

_I will be singing_

_Falling from your grace_

_There's nowhere left to hide_

_In no one to confide_

_The truth burns deep inside_

_And will never die_

He couldn't talk to the twins; they were having a hard enough time keeping themselves as well as Angelina and Alicia together. They were doing fabulously ... the girls seemed to be dealing with everything a lot better than was to be expected.

Lips are turning blue 

_A kiss that can't renew_

_I only dream of you_

_My beautiful_

_Sing for absolution_

_I will be singing_

_And falling from your grace_

But he couldn't dump this on them; he wished it had been him in that bed instead of Katie. She could deal with this so much better than he could, besides the whole thing with not wanting her to ... he couldn't think it.

Our wrongs 

_Remain unrectified_

_And our souls_

_Won't be exhumed_

Oliver squeezed Katie's hand; he wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and hear her tell him it was going to be okay.

**Translation: **"It's your fault!" Oliver cringed; Katie's Mum was French and the family spoke a lot of French. Paddy had a tendency to speak it when he got extremely angry; it was like default mode because it was the first language he learned. "You made her play! Now I've lost my only sister! Because of you!"

A/N: Firstly a huge apology to all my readers. This was supposed to be posted yesterday, and I left it in the middle of the translation to go finish up my homework and totally forgot I hadn't posted it. So it's me being forgetful, not mean! Secondly, a huge thank you to all my reviewers! I really appreciate the comments you guys make on my writing style, it really makes my day when I get home and find like 10 reviews in my inbox! Lastly, if you read please please please review! I know (I do this all the time) that you don't feel like reviewing all the time, but even if it's two words, I'd appreciate knowing that people are reading and liking! Finally, how did you all like it?! I know the French was kind of random, but it will come up later! Was it okay? Make me a heureuse fille (happy girl in French) by dropping me a review!

**Linz:** Holy mother of moose! Thank you so much! That is so flattering, I have to tell you that your review made me feel a lot better about having to go to my clarinet lesson! Hope that helped thanks again. How was this chapter?

**MasterHarperMenolly:** LOL, how long has it been since I hadn't had to answer you in the A/N? That's a totally awesome feeling for me! Thank you so much again! I'm so flattered! I was actually relatively happy with this chapter, I hope you like it!

**HarryPotterFan670: **So flattered! How did you like this chapter? Did it live up to your expectations?

Disclaimer: You think I own Harry Potter? Did you steal Kale's dumbass stick and whack yourself with it? The song was "Sing for Absolution" by Muse (listen to it, it's even better than the lyrics let on!)


	10. Swiss Chocolate

Chapter 10

The next week passed slowly at times and quickly at others. The time seemed to crawl for the three who weren't with Katie, and the shifts seemed all too short for the one who was with her. Oliver was doing better ... not good, but better. He did his best to pay attention in class, although no comment on how exactly that went.

On Saturday, one week since the match, the five friends were sitting at the Gryffindor table, pushing their dinner around on their plates. All Gryffindor Quidditch matches and practices had been cancelled for the time being, as they didn't have a replacement Chaser. Besides the fact that none of the team would have felt comfortable playing without Katie.

"I'll go and relieve Cedric ... it was good to actually see all of you at once." Angelina smiled weakly, kissed Fred on the cheek, got up, and walked out of the Great Hall. Fred noticed her furiously wipe away a tear as she left. Cedric had agreed to stay with Katie for an hour so that the five could actually see each other, together, something they had hardly done in the past week.

"I'm going up to bed, I've got night shift today." Oliver attempted a weak smile and nodded to his friends as he walked out of the Great Hall. He slowly climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, thinking of Katie the whole way there. He muttered the password for the Fat Lady and entered the Common Room. Everyone shot him worried glances as he made his way up the Dormitory stairs.

**Two Hours Later**

"Oliver! Wake up you lazy arse!" Oliver groaned and rolled over. "Oliver! She's awake!!" Oliver sat bolt upright in his bed.

"What?!"

"She's awake!" Oliver's eyes got very wide; he jumped out of bed and ran out of the Dormitory, leaving Angelina to wake up the twins. He ran at breakneck speed to the Hospital Wing; he threw open the doors to find Katie sitting up on her bed. Madame Pomfrey was bustling about here and there. Katie looked thin, weak, and looked rather uncomfortable, but all that didn't matter now because she was awake!

"Oh my god, Katie!" Oliver rushed to her and started to hug her before pulling away.

"It's okay, Ol' I'm not a piece of glass. I won't break." Oliver looked as though he could cry as Katie reached out her arms and they embraced. Katie wasn't all that far from tears herself; when she fell she had earnestly believed that she was dying and would never see her friends again. Oliver pulled away and sat down on her bed, looking terribly shaken.

"Katie I'm so sorry, I should have listened to you! You were right, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Shush Oliver, it's okay." She smiled and ran a hand through his hair affectionately. Katie opened her mouth to say something else when Angelina, Alicia, Fred, and George burst through the Hospital Wing doors. Katie smiled as they all ran over to her bed.

"Oh my god! Katie!" Angelina was the first to reach her bed; she leaned in close, kissed Katie on the forehead and hugged her gently.

"Don't hog her you great arse!" Alicia pushed Angelina out of the way and hugged Katie. She kissed her on the cheek before walking to the other side of the bed and sitting down, opposite Oliver.

Katie smiled as she saw George walk forward, he was uncharacteristically subdued, but hugged and kissed her on the cheek anyways. Fred, never subdued, was the last to get to hug Katie. Katie winced and let out a small 'eep' as Fred hugged her a little too tight.

"Oh god, I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?!"

"Fred, it's fine." Katie shook her head and chuckled at her friends' uptightness. "I'm just a little sore is all." Fred still looked worried; he kissed Katie on the cheek before joining Angelina at the foot of the bed.

"How're you feeling?"

"Hmm ... like shit." Katie chuckled, but her friends just continued to stare at her with worried expressions. "Oh bloody hell guys! I'm okay, see!" She waved her arms around, being careful not to over extend her right arm, as she was still quite bruised where the Bludger had hit her. "Lighten up, geez!" She rolled her eyes.

"What is this?! 5 visitors at one time! This simply will not do!"

"Oh, please don't make them leave Madame Pomfrey, please?" Madame Pomfrey cocked an eyebrow as she eyed all of them.

"Fine, but that's it, no more!" Madame Pomfrey sniffed her disapproval before turning and walking back to her office. Everyone started laughing.

"Ow! Ow! Guys stop!" Katie cried helplessly. "Owie! That hurts, don't make me laugh," she said through a wide grin. Everyone continued to laugh, apparently in a much better mood. Once they all quieted down, Katie asked, "How's everything been this week?"

"It was ... horrible, to say the least," Fred said with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, Katie, you can't ever do that to us again! A whole week without you is like ..."

"It's upsetting the natural Order!" Alicia laughed, finishing Angelina's thought.

"Are you okay, now? You don't look very comfortable." Oliver had apparently missed the memo and was still giving Katie worried glances.

"Yeah, a few my ribs are bruised on the right side. They were broken, but Pomfrey fixed that. I have to wear this weirdo brace until it heals completely. It's not exactly comfortable ... I've likened it to a corset. My ankle's fucked up, but it will be back to normal by the end of next week."

"And until then, we'll just levitate you everywhere!" George said, melodramatically. Katie rolled her eyes but smiled; suddenly she looked as if she had just remembered something important.

"Oliver! We won our match right?!" Everyone laughed; Oliver and Patrick's obsession had clearly rubbed off on Katie.

"Yes, Katie, we won. I'm really sorry I didn't listen to you."

"Oliver! Bloody hell, you've apologized 10 times in the past 10 minutes! Let it go! Get it through that wonderfully thick head of yours that I'm not angry. Okay?" Katie grabbed Oliver's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Yeah, okay."

"Ooh! We got you something!" Fred and George exchanged excited glances and raced off towards Madame Pomfrey's office. Katie cocked an eyebrow at Angelina, Alicia, and Oliver, but they just shrugged; they were as oblivious to all of this as Katie was. A few minutes later, they came out of the office levitating a sheet behind them; well, it looked like a sheet, but Katie assumed the sheet was covering something. They stopped at the foot of Katie's bed and looked around, pausing for dramatic effect.

"For you, my dear!" George said, beaming. Fred ripped off the sheet, revealing a 15 lb bar of chocolate. Katie's eyes got as big as Quaffles as she stared at the floating bar.

"You think, oh my goodness, a 15 lb bar of chocolate. But this is no ordinary 15 lb bar of chocolate." Fred smiled proudly.

"No, no, not ordinary. This is none other than your favorite brand of Swiss Chocolate sold in only three stores in the entire world." George held up three fingers for emphasis. Katie's eyes got even wider, if that was possible. _Aina_ Swiss Chocolate was extremely hard to find, unless of course you lived near one of the three shops. Katie's grandmother did, which is how she developed her intense passion for the silky chocolate.

"Oh ... my ... god! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Katie stretched out her arms and waved her hands towards her, signaling that she wanted the twins to hug her. "You didn't have to do that, but I'm so glad you did! Thank you!" Katie hugged both of them as tightly as she could without hurting her ribs, as they both grinned from ear to ear; clearly proud that Katie had liked their gift.

"For a speedy recovery!" they said together. Katie smiled expectantly as they laid the huge bar on the bed next to hers.

"All right! All of you out! She needs her rest and you've been in here long enough!" Madame Pomfrey came out and started shooing them towards the door.

"Wait! We can't just leave her alone!" Madame Pomfrey cocked a skeptical eyebrow at Fred's outraged statement.

"Just let one of us stay!" Angelina pleaded.

"You let one person stay with the shifts and everything!" Alicia added.

"And that was when she wasn't awake and would have had no need for anyone to talk to!" George said as he clasped his hands together pleadingly.

"Come on, Madame Pomfrey! You've got to let just one of us stay!" Oliver stuck out his bottom lip and Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine, whatever! One of you may stay. But the rest of you hurry up and get out of my Hospital Wing!" Oliver turned immediately to his friends.

"Let me stay?" They all exchanged knowing looks and nodded, reluctantly.

"We'll bring some food down in the morning, so we can all have breakfast together," Alicia said, smiling. Angelina, Alicia, Fred, and George all hugged Katie once more before walking slowly out of the Hospital Wing and back to their Dormitories. Oliver sat back down in the chair next to Katie's bed and smiled at her.

"What?"

"I'm really happy that you're okay is all." Katie cocked an eyebrow at Oliver. "I need to tell you something, Kate ... I mean Katie."

"Oliver, you can call me Kate."

"Really? But you said –"

"I know what I said; I was being stupid and stubborn and I never should have said it. So call me Kate, okay?" Katie bit her lip nervously.

"Of course I'll call you Kate." Oliver smiled and Katie returned it.

"So what do you need to tell me?"

"Okay," Oliver took a deep breath. "I've been holding this in since the beginning of the year and I wasn't going to tell you. But when I thought I was going to lose you ... I would never have forgiven myself if I hadn't told you how I really felt." Katie could see how hard this was for him; his insides felt like 10 snakes wriggling around. "So I have to tell you now ... now that I have the chance again." He took a deep breath again; he needed to tell her this, get it off his chest. The only problem was getting his mouth to form the words. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so nervous; I mean this was Katie, his best friend of 5 years. Kate, whom he could tell anything. He sighed it was now or never and he didn't really want the latter. "I like you, Kate ... I think ... I think I love you." Katie gave Oliver a confused look.

"I love you too Oliver –" He wasn't sure if he could make himself say it again, but he had to make her understand.

"No, Kate, I _love_ you." Katie blinked several times, finally understanding what Oliver was trying to tell her. Oliver bit his lip nervously as he watched her silent reaction.

"Wow ... when did this change?"

"I don't know ... but I realized it completely when, well you know." Katie nodded, still looking quite shocked. His stomach dropped; this would change everything if she didn't feel the same. He suddenly wished he had kept his mouth shut about the whole thing.

"I don't ... I don't know what to say Ol'. I don't know if I like you ... like that."

"Don't worry about it, Kate. I wasn't expecting an answer or anything today, I just wanted you to know." Katie nodded as Oliver continued to bite his lip. Who was he kidding? Of course he was expecting an answer; did he want her to throw herself into his arms and say that she loved him to?

Katie knew what he had said was a lie ... he was just trying to cover up the fact that he really did want her to feel the same way. But she couldn't lie to him about it.

"I'm not saying I don't ... I'm just saying that I never thought about it that way. Let's ... let's just take some time and figure this out, okay?" Oliver nodded, still looking worried. "Until then, promise me that nothing will change?" He sighed as he felt his stomach unclench, this was Katie again, nothing intimidating, just Katie.

"Katie. I would rather have this fabulous friendship with you than have no relationship at all. Even if it does mean I can't be with you ... like that." Katie smiled and squeezed Oliver's hand. He picked up her hand and kissed it gently. "How about you get some sleep?"

"Okay ... will you help me lay down? This brace is really hard to move in." Oliver smiled and nodded. Katie looked at him; she was starting to see him in a new light.

A/N: Okay, I know the chocolate is a bit random. But I had an intense craving for Swiss Chocolate when I was writing this ... so bear with me and my hormones! ANYWHO! What did you think? Isn't Oliver just a doll? The whole thing with the twins kissing Katie on the cheek is totally a friendly gesture. There's nothing implied, so don't take it like that! How was the Katie/Oliver convo at the end? Good? Bad? Heartbreaking? Unrealistic? All good adjectives pick one and leave it in a review ... that's right a review!

**HarryPotterFan670:** So glad you liked it, how was this one? I'm super glad that _someone_ was worried about Katie's health!

Disclaimer: Although I do have some Swiss Chocolate, I don't own the company. Similarly, although I do own several Harry Potter books, I don't own Harry Potter!


	11. From Damsel to Knight

Chapter 11

"Fred! Put me down!"

"No, your not walking until your ankle is, as you so eloquently put it, 'not fucked up anymore'!" Katie let out a cry of frustration; she was being levitated behind Fred. She had just been released from the Hospital Wing and would return to classes tomorrow; Monday. Everyone laughed as Katie glared daggers at the back of Fred's head.

"I can't believe she's actually complaining!"

"Oh please, Angelina, you would hate it to! Having you friends levitate you everywhere, besides the strange looks everyone is giving me, I hate to feel like a burden." Katie sighed as Angelina laughed and shook her head.

"You're not a burden, Katie dear, this is as fun for us as it should be for you," George said with a cheeky smile.

"Oh shove it!"

"Shove it where exactly, Kate?" Oliver gave her a suggestive smirk.

"Up your fat ass!"

"I'm appalled that you think my ass is fat, especially since yours is so much fatter." Everyone raised their eyebrows and turned to Katie, waiting for your response.

"I'm sure that's why you needed a cold shower when you saw me dancing in my bra and knickers, right?" Oliver blushed a color that would rival the twins' hair.

"How did you know that?!"

"Ooh! Score one for Katie Bell!" Katie licked her finger and made a mark in the air. "Katie one, Oliver zippo!" She, Angelina, and Alicia laughed heartily while Oliver, Fred, and George blushed sheepishly, staring at the ground. "By the way, I didn't know, exactly. But I've known the three of you long enough to put two and two together." Oliver's mouth formed a nice "O" shape and he blushed even darker.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"That was a nasty trick before." Oliver flopped down next to Katie on the couch, making the couch bounce. She bit her lip and took a deep breath as pain coursed through her side.

"Oliver, a little gentler next time, okay?"

"Merlin, I'm sorry Kate, I didn't mean to." She put a finger to his lips before he could continue apologized for the next 10 minutes.

"It's okay, just try and be a little more careful." Katie was silently cheering for Oliver; he hadn't let their conversation about his feelings get in the way of their friendship. This was exactly what she needed while she attempted to figure out her own feelings.

"Okay, I'm really sorry. It was still a dirty trick."

"Apparently, it's not the only thing that's dirty around here," Katie said calmly as she scanned the Potions chapter that had been assigned last week.

"What are you implying, Ms. Bell?"

"I'm not implying anything, I'm telling you that you have a very dirty mind." She smirked as she saw Oliver's expression of mock outrage out of the corner of her eye. They sat in comfortable silence for a while and Oliver took the opportunity to get a good look at Katie, something he hadn't really done since she had changed so much over the summer. Her long, brown, almost black hair, was up in a messy bun, most of which was either threatening to fall out or had already done so. Her large, chocolate colored eyes were sweeping back and forth across the page. She was wearing her glasses, which she only used to read. They were black, making her eyes stand out amazingly. Oliver cocked his eyebrow as he realized she was wearing a pair of his plaid pajama pants.

"Kate?"

"Mm hm?"

"Why are you wearing my pants?" Katie smiled widely and turned her eyes to him. She pulled her glasses off and continued to smile at him.

"Well I figured I deserved some payback for you stealing my knickers!" Oliver's mouth fell open; how did she know? Katie laughed heartily at Oliver's expression, wincing at the pain in her side.

"How did you ...?"

"I have my ways, Ol'. Anywho, these are super comfortable!" Oliver rolled his eyes as Katie shrugged innocently. He looked down at the pants again; they were plaid, with 4 different shades of blue. She was also wearing an oversized t-shirt that he recognized as Fred's. It had the Chudley Cannon's emblem on it.

"What is it with you and stealing people's clothes?!"

"What?! Oh! The shirt! See Fred left it in our room, for reasons that I don't really want to know, and so we washed it. But since you all neglected my laundry the past week, I didn't have anything clean that was suitable for sleep wear. So I decided this was a better option than strictly a bra." Oliver snickered at the last part, although he wasn't exactly opposed to seeing her in a bra, truth be told.

"Well we're sorry that we were more worried about your health than your laundry," he retorted. Katie rolled her eyes and went back to her book.

**Quidditch Pitch**

"Oy! Angelina! Watch out for the Bludgers on your sides, you can't let your peripheral vision get lost in your concentration!" Angelina rolled her eyes and flew off towards the other end of the pitch to try the drill again. Fred and George smirked at her angry expression and waved to Katie, who waved back. Katie turned and waved to Angelina who raised her middle finger and continued the drill. Katie laughed heartily and sat back down on the bench. She wasn't supposed to be playing yet, but they still needed to have practices. She chuckled as she remembered the fight she and Oliver had had over the matter.

**Flashback**

"Oliver don't be such a bloody prat! I'm going to practice and that's final!"

_"NO, you're not and that's final! You can play again when you are completely and totally healed and not before!"_

_"Oliver, I'm fine! I can play! Arg!" Oliver pulled Katie out of the Common Room and into the empty hallway, or rather levitated her out since she was still not walking._

_"Kate, please don't do this. I'm just worried is all ..." Katie continued to glare at him indignantly. "Katherine Anne Bell, I am begging you not to practice until you have a clean bill of health." Katie sighed dramatically; it was so hard to turn Oliver down when he used that tone of voice._

_"Fine, but I am going to practice. I'll take notes or something, but I'm not missing it all together." Oliver smiled._

_"As long as you are far, far away from a broom, I'm happy." Katie rolled her eyes as Oliver wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked back into the Common Room. She was hovering so that her head was even with his, even though she was really a few inches shorter. He kissed her temple as they sat down._

**Back to the Present**

"Alicia! You did that drill wrong! Try it again! Don't falter when you fly at the keeper, get his eye contact if possible!" Katie laughed as Alicia and Angelina let out a simultaneous cry of frustration. An hour later, practice was finally over and they were all gathered in the locker rooms.

"You had better get well soon, that was sodding hell!" Katie stuck out her tongue at Angelina.

"Be nice to Kate, I think she did fabulously." Oliver smiled cheekily and Katie returned it.

"No flirting now."

"We'd like to take this opportunity to remind you," Fred and George were doing the 'we share one brain, so we speak like we're the same person' thing again.

"That the rest of us would like to remain"

"Emotionally unscarred"

"For as long as is humanly possible"

"So if you would take care"

"To remember this"

"It would be greatly appreciated"

"By all!" They finished with a cheeky grin and a bow. Oliver and Katie glared daggers at them. Angelina and Alicia were shaking with silent laughter, but went, fortunately, unnoticed.

**Gryffindor Common Room  
**

Alicia jumped as someone put their hands over her eyes. She was sitting on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, supposedly alone. It was almost midnight; no one should have been up that late.

"Guess who?" Alicia smiled and relaxed at hearing the voice; she knew it very well.

"Hello George, but what are you doing up so late?" George removed his hands from her eyes and walked around the couch to sit next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his head in her shoulder, taking in the smell of her hair.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about you ... with all this confusion and everything over the accident, I feel like I haven't spent any time with you." Alicia smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Me too ... I wanted to thank you, George." George picked up his head and cocked an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

"What for?"

"When Katie was hurt ... I don't think I would have made it through that without you. You were so strong," Alicia leaned over, wrapped her arms around George's middle, and rested her head comfortably on his chest, "and you didn't even think about yourself, like at all. So ... thanks."

"You don't have to thank me; you're a pretty strong person yourself." Alicia smiled and shook her head.

"From damsel in distress to knight in shining armor, thank you." George smiled as Alicia sat up and kissed him passionately.

A/N: Okay, so this chapter contained lots of cotton ... I'm sorry! But there will be more ... interesting things happening soon. How did you all like it? I'm sort of tired and I just had my braces tightened, so if it sucks, I'm terribly sorry! Please review!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Thanks! I hope you continue to love it! Haha, yeah, Katie's okay, despite my friend's attempts to get me to let her die. How'd you like this one?

**MasterHarperMenolly:** Thanks a bunch! Yes, poor Oliver ... it will continue to be 'poor Oliver' for a while, so consider yourself warned. The part with Katie and Oliver was different, but I changed it so I'm glad you liked it! How was this one?

**DarkRose:** that person is the one that wanted me to kill Katie! Gasp! Glad it was "squishy", was this one "squishy" as well? I'm assuming its not the same kind of "squishy" as you or Lauri! Ha!

Disclaimer: There are many things I own ... my clothes, my books, my plots, several souls other than my own ... but do notice that Harry Potter is not on that list!


	12. I'll Wait for You

Chapter 12

"Alright dear, looks good to me. You've still got a little bit of a bruise, so I'd hold off on any wrestling with Oliver." Madame Pomfrey smirked as she began sorting through some papers on her desk. In second year, Katie and Oliver had gotten in a fight and decided to wrestle it out. It ended with the both of them lying on their backs laughing their hearts out and more than a few detentions. Now, it was a big joke with all the teachers that two of the best students of the year had been caught wrestling on the Quidditch Field.

"I'll make sure and avoid that." Katie shook her head, laughing, as she left the Hospital Wing; she was so grateful to be walking on her own again. Even though Madame Pomfrey said that she could walk when she was released from the Hospital Wing, that hadn't been good enough for Fred, George, or Oliver.

"Hey!" Katie smiled as Oliver came running up to her. "How'd it go?"

"Everything's great! I'm still kind of bruised, but that should go away within a few days." Oliver smiled widely and Katie returned it.

"Heading to the Great Hall then?"

"What? Oh, no. I want to enjoy a little bit of freedom; this is the first time since the accident that I've been ... alone for any length of time. Thanks to Angelina and Alicia for having the twins so whipped." Katie and Oliver laughed as they headed to the Gryffindor Tower. They walked in contented silence; Katie was lost in her own thoughts and Oliver, recognizing the pensive expression, had decided to let her stay there.

When they reached the Common Room, Katie, still lost in her own world, headed up to her Dormitory. Oliver sighed, a little hurt at being ignored, and went up to his own Dormitory. He flopped down on his bed and started to read a book on keeping techniques (surprise, surprise). A few lines into Chapter 3, and someone threw open his door.

"What are you doing?!"

"Umm ... I'm reading."

"You know that's not what I mean, Oliver!"

"Well you were kind of zoned out, and you said before that you got no time alone since the accident ..." Oliver swallowed, why was this bothering him so much? Everyone wanted to be alone once in a while. "So I thought I'd give you some time alone."

"Good god, Ol'. I wasn't talking about you! I was talking about the twins being entirely too over protective!"

"Oh." Oliver looked back down at his book; he heard Katie sigh exasperatedly and the next thing he knew she was sitting on the bed next to him. She tugged at his sleeve.

"Come on, Ol'! Let's go fly! Please?" She stuck out her bottom lip and batted her big, brown eyes. Oliver leaned forward and put his forehead against hers.

"I hate it when you do that."

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You shouldn't be flying, not yet at least, but that face is so hard to turn down." Katie smiled and, grabbing Oliver's hand, dragged him off the bed. He fell onto the floor with a loud 'thump'. "Kate!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Oliver!" She giggled as she helped him up and they started out of the Dormitory. The halls were relatively deserted as everyone was at lunch. They headed to the Quidditch Pitch; Oliver felt happier than he had felt since the accident. Katie had been conscious for the past week, but he hadn't got to spend any real time with her.

"Your umm ... your brother was here. He and I kind of had a row, I thought you had a right to know about it." Katie cocked an eyebrow at her best friend as they continued to walk. Oliver avoided her gaze.

"What about?"

"Well ... it was less of a row and more of me cowering while he yelled at me in French." Katie's eyes widened; Patrick had a tendency to speak broken French when he was very angry.

"Oliver, what happened?" Katie put her finger under Oliver's chin and forced him to meet her eyes.

"He was angry ... because he said it was my fault you got hurt ... and he was, or rather is, right." Katie stopped walking and, catching Oliver's arm, forced him to stop as well. They were halfway down the first marble staircase that started in the entrance hall.

"Oliver, it is in no way your fault that I got hurt. It was no one's fault. Just because my idiot of a brother said some stupid things doesn't make it your fault." Katie took a deep breath then realized something. "This is what he was talking about! When I owled Paddy he told me to tell you he was sorry, but he wouldn't tell me what for!" Oliver looked at the ground. "Oliver sodding hell! Please can you stop blaming yourself for this?! I'm fine, everything's fine." Oliver slowly raised his head and looked at Katie.

"Okay, I guess."

"No 'I guess' Ol'! You're my best friend; I know you would never do anything to hurt me. So please, don't blame yourself for some silly accident." Oliver forced a smile.

"Alright, Kate. Let's go fly." Katie smiled widely and they started walking towards the pitch again.

**Quidditch Pitch**

"So what exactly are we going to do?"

"I thought we'd play some one on one." Katie smiled as they walked to the middle of the Quidditch Field. "I can't keep and you can't chase, so it should be interesting if not fair." Oliver laughed as Katie mounted her broom and kicked off. He smiled to himself as he watched her for a moment; she looked so natural. As if flying was what she had been born to do; hell it probably was. "Oliver, grab the Quaffle and get your arse up here!" He smirked and grabbed the Quaffle off the ground before kicking off.

Katie had been right; she couldn't keep and Oliver couldn't chase. It was rather pathetic, but when the tables were turned and it was Oliver keeping and Katie chasing, it was a pretty good game.

"You really did get a lot better over the summer. I mean, you were good before, but now you're like ... brilliant." Katie laughed at Oliver's comment as they flew around randomly, having finished their game.

"You're not half bad yourself," Katie joked.

A half an hour or so later, they found themselves lying on the grass in the middle of the Quidditch Field. Oliver's head was lying on Katie's stomach; he was playing with her hand absentmindedly, a contented smile on his face. Katie ran her free hand through his hair occasionally, making shivers run down his spine.

"So I've been thinking about everything ... what you said in the Hospital Wing."

"Look, Kate, I'm not going to pretend that I don't want you to feel the same way. But I'd rather have you as only a friend than not have you at all. Furthermore, I'd rather you be happy with someone else than just content with me." Katie smiled at the bittersweetness of the whole situation; she was really happy that she and Oliver could be honest with each other, but she also knew how much this was hurting him.

"I know ... and I'm sorry to make you wait like this. But I'm just really ... confused." Oliver rolled over and sat up, Katie did the same. Their eyes locked; Katie gazed into Oliver's deep green eyes and Oliver gazed into Katie's chocolate brown ones. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Oliver inhaled sharply, desperately wanting to pull his eyes away from hers, but he couldn't. He knew that every time he looked into her gorgeous brown eyes, he fell for her all over again. He saw worry in her eyes, but also, love. Did she love him? Of course she loved him, but did she, could she ever, love him like that? In truth, Oliver wasn't that optimistic about the situation. He, himself, didn't know how he had come to love her, like that. It seemed like it was just yesterday that they were wrestling on the Quidditch Field and would have recoiled in disgust at the thought of being anything more than friends, best friends.

Katie saw so much love in Oliver's eyes, which she had never realized was there. But, there was also hurt ... she knew she was the cause of that hurt. She loved him, yes, but did she love him like that? That was the million-galleon question. Then, something shocked her; in all her plans and hopes for the future, despite how different some of them were, there was always one constant. Oliver. He was always there; she knew she would spend forever with him, always being his friend. So why not spend forever with him as something more? But she didn't want to just settle; she wanted to be in love. What if she already was?

Oliver cupped Katie's face in his hands and smiled. He leaned forward and kissed her gently and quickly on the lips, sending shock waves through Katie's entire body. She blinked several times; of all the times she had been kissed, it had never, ever felt like that. Kisses ten times more passionate didn't even feel like that; it was a good feeling.

"You take as long as you want, Kate." Oliver smiled and Katie was absolutely melting. "I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes." Katie smiled again as Oliver got up and walked off the field. Katie knew exactly what she had to do; she headed to the broom closet to put her broom away and then back towards the school.

All this time, neither Oliver nor Katie had noticed four people sitting in the stands, grinning like idiots.

A/N: Kudo points to anyone who can guess what Katie is going to do! How was this? Sorry for the wait, I wasn't home long enough yesterday to write anything and I didn't get home until 5 today. Hope I made up for it though, hehe. How was this? We're not even nearing the end so don't get that idea in your head! Please review!

**CTM: **Haha, should I be afraid? whimpers Thank you so much!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Yay! That makes me happy! You're totally welcome, I'm really sorry I haven't read it all yet. I've had so much to do these past few weeks and I barely have time to think! Writer's Block sucks ass, but don't let it get you down. Keep RP'ing and something will come to you!

**Skybluepink:** Grar! Well I'm glad you were concerned when she almost died, I was worried I didn't make it dramatic enough! Glad you're up to date. So here was more, you demanding cow (LOL jk), how did you like it? Did you ever find out who sent the roses? Romantic ... sigh

**MasterHarperMenolly:** Well they are rumored to share a brain. But in coming chapters there's going to be a lot of separation between their personalities ... if that makes sense, whoopee! If not, just ignore it. Lots of 'poor Oliver' to come!

**DarkRose:** You have issues ... so many issues! Snogging ... hehe yes, that was great.

**Note to All:** Okay, cotton pertains to something that doesn't directly influence the plot of the story. It needs to be there because you can't just have huge things happen every chapter, but what actually happens in a cotton chapter doesn't really matter that much. So the last chapter was cottony. It's sort of like Limbo, but more frivolous than Limbo. Hope that clears up a few things!

Disclaimer: I'd love to own Harry Potter, yes, but since I don't and we're on the subject of wishing ... I'd love to be Katie Bell and have Oliver all to myself!


	13. Mad Crazy Amazing

Chapter 13

"What do you think is going to happen?" There was a twinge of worry in George's voice.

"Well considering that blissful, determined look on Katie's face I'd say Oliver's got a surprise coming." Angelina turned to Alicia and they both squealing in excitement, jumping up and down. The twins just laughed and shook their heads.

"Oh don't give us that look, you know you're just as bloody excited as we are!"

"Come on, 'Licia. They apparently don't want to be in on this."

"Oh no, where do you think you're going?" Fred caught Angelina around the waist, smirking. Angelina turned in his arms and cocked an eyebrow at him.

Apparently, the romantic mood was contagious, because 15 minutes later Fred and Angelina found themselves underneath the stands and George and Alicia were 'cleaning out a broom closet'.

**Library**

"Cedric, can I talk to you?" Cedric looked up to see a rather worried looking Katie Bell standing in front of him.

"Sure, sit down. What's wrong?"

"Look, Cedric. I really like you, honestly I do. But this doesn't feel ... this doesn't feel right." Cedric sighed and sat back in his chair.

"Wood?"

"What?"

"Is this because of Wood, Oliver Wood?" Katie opened her mouth to say something, but being unable to find the words, just nodded. "Katie, I still like you and I know that you still like me. So whatever fling this is with him –"

"It's not a fling, Cedric." Cedric sighed and his features softened from their previous anger.

"I'm not going to stop liking you because of Wood." Cedric leaned over and kissed Katie softly on the cheek and with that, left the Library.

**Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory**

Oliver was supposedly reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_ for the hundredth time. But his mind was definitely not on the words in front of him. Any idiot could guess what he was really thinking about; Katie. He was half beating himself up for kissing her, when she's still with Cedric, and half applauding himself. But that all got pushed to the back of his mind when he thought about the kiss. It wasn't anything special, nothing all that passionate. But in that one moment, it felt like the entire world had stopped. The only thing that mattered, hell the only thing that existed, was Katie ... and Oliver of course.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a tap on the window. He looked up to see Katie's red-brown owl, Quaffle, on the window ledge. He got up and opened the window, while he thought about when Katie had gotten the owl. It was her Christmas present from her father in first year.

**Flashback**

_"Oliver look! It's she just gorgeous!" Katie held up a small cage, in which an equally small red-brown owl was sitting on the perch. "Dad gave her to me for Christmas!" Oliver smiled and cocked an eyebrow at the bird. She hooted indignantly, sending Oliver and Katie into a fit of laughter. They were sitting on the Hogwarts Express, on their way back from the holidays._

_"Well you two definitely fit together." Katie rolled her eyes and Oliver laughed. "What's her name?"_

_"Oh, she doesn't have one yet ... I couldn't decide."_

_"You should name her Quaffle." The owl hooted, as if in agreement._

_"No, there's no sodding way I'm naming my owl Quaffle." Katie opened the cage door and the owl climbed out, settling itself on her lap._

_"Come on, she's about the size of a Quaffle and she's almost the same color!" Oliver petted the owl's head affectionately and it hooted._

_"No way!"_

_"Oh come on, Kate. Look, she likes it!" Katie rolled her eyes. "Katherine Anne Bell, you know very well that you want to name this wonderful little owl Quaffle."_

_"Well I –"_

**Back to the Present**

Oliver was jolted out of his thoughts by Quaffle biting his finger. "Ow! Bloody bird." He walked to the desk and pulled out a few treats. He set them on the bed and took the piece of parchment from Quaffle, who started nibbling on the treats happily. He opened the parchment to see Katie's handwriting:

_Ol',_

_Astronomy Tower, 7 o'clock_

_Kate_

Oliver cocked and eyebrow and put down the parchment. Quaffle flew out the open window a few minutes later, leaving Oliver still lost in thought.

**The Great Hall**

"Where is the lovely couple?" Angelina smacked Fred's arm. "OW! Lina that hurt!"

"Good, you can't just go around saying stuff like that. Katie's liable to murder you." Fred stuck out his bottom lip and rubbed his arm. "Oh you are such a baby." Angelina leaned over and attempted to kiss him on the cheek, but Fred was a moment too fast and caught her lips with his. She pulled away and rolled her eyes, while Fred just gave a triumphant smile.

"I don't know where she's been. I haven't seen her all day. What about Oliver?" Alicia gave Angelina and Fred a small smile as she and George sat down opposite them.

"What's going on?" Angelina asked.

"I haven't seen Katie since the pitch, have you?" Angelina and Fred shook their heads 'no'. "We were wondering what was going on with the two of them, but since I haven't seen Katie I'm pretty much in the dark."

"I saw Oliver, but he didn't look like he wanted to talk. He was reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_." Fred snorted into his pumpkin juice at his twin's comment.

"He wasn't reading mate, he was ... daydreaming." Everyone laughed, knowing exactly what Oliver had been daydreaming about.

**The Astronomy Tower**

"Kate?" Oliver looked around the tower, but there was no one there. He glanced at his watch; he was a little early. He looked out at the stars that were starting to appear in the sky; he was grateful for the temperature charms that had been placed on the tower. There was about a month and a half until Christmas and despite the fact that there was no snow, it was still really cold outside.

"Hey you." Oliver whirled around to see Katie standing behind him. She looked different; she wasn't one for makeup but she had worn some today. Instead of drying her hair straight, she had let it fall about her shoulders in its natural waviness.

"Hi ... I'm umm ... I'm sorry about what happened at the pitch." Oliver studied his shoes as Katie chuckled.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Cuz, I mean you're still with Cedric and ... it was kind of forward and presumptuous." Oliver didn't see Katie roll her eyes and smile.

"Oliver, just shut up and kiss me." He looked up immediately, trying to judge by her expression whether or not she was serious.

"Can do." Oliver smiled as he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. She snaked her arms around his neck as their lips met. Oliver pulled back quickly, though. "Katie?"  
"Hmm?"

"What about Cedric?" Katie chuckled and ran her hands through Oliver's hair.

"What about him? I broke up with him this afternoon, Ol'." Oliver stepped back slightly in shock.

"What?" Katie blushed and looked at the floor.

"Well I don't know ... I liked him and everything, but it wasn't anything special. And then you kissed me and it was like ..."

"Mad crazy amazing?" Katie laughed and nodded. "But are you sure? I mean you said you needed time."

"It's been a week and a half, that's time enough for me. And, to be completely frank, after that kiss I didn't have to do much thinking." Oliver broke into a grin and kissed Katie for the third time. He smiled inwardly as she allowed his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss. A little while later, Katie pulled away with a worried expression on her face.

"What?"

"Ol' would I be an unbelievable git if I asked you to keep this ..."

"Between us? No, I know how much you hate having all of Hogwarts know your marital status." Katie sighed, relieved, and snuggled closer to Oliver.

"Thanks."

"Although, I do find it a little unfair that I can't show you off." Katie smacked Oliver on the arm, but smiled. "But seriously, I don't think we'll be able to keep this from Angelina, Alicia, and the twins."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Katie sighed contentedly into Oliver's chest and he kissed her neck softly.

"Oy! That was brilliant!" Katie and Oliver broke apart hurriedly as Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina emerged from the shadows.

"What in the sodding hell?!"

"Oh don't be such a git, Oliver." Alicia waved her hand dismissively.

"You couldn't honestly believe that we didn't know." Angelina giggled as Fred wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Especially considering that Oliver left the note on his bed." Fred rested his chin on top of Angelina's head. Katie and Oliver exchanged confused, worried looks.

"Oh don't be worried, you were going to tell us anyways," George said, grinning, as he took Alicia's hand in his.

"Yeah, you said so yourself just a few seconds ago." Alicia smiled cheerily as Katie and Oliver laughed. Oliver walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist; Katie put an arm around his shoulders.

"Well since you all know, I guess there's no point in hiding it now." Oliver shrugged.

"But the real question is, how did you know about any of this?" Katie cocked an eyebrow at her friends.

"We have our ways, Miss Bell," Fred said in a deep, mysterious voice, making everyone laugh.

A/N: Yay! This was definitely a fluffy chapter! But the real question is, how did you like it? Kudo points to all of you that predicted that one! Haha, which I'm sure, is everyone! Anywho, we're not anywhere near the end, so please keep reading! Was this all believable and good stuff like that? Or no? You tell me! Please review!

**AllysonKat:** Kudo points to you, m'dear! Merci, merci. How was this chapter?

**HarryPotterFan670:** Kudo points to you as well! Thanks a bunch, how was this one? Did it live up to expectations?

**DarkRose:** There I go again, being a lazy ass, but anywho. Yes, Oliver is very frank ... mwahaha, he's coming to get you my dear! That was a long review, and I thank you for it. How was this chapter?

**MasterHarperMenolly:** I was utterly surprised at how fast you reviewed! LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed the last sentence ... it just kind of popped into my head randomly and I couldn't let it go without writing it! Thanks a bunch, did you like this one?

Disclaimer: My friend told me something disturbing the other day ... I don't own her soul anymore! That makes me so sad! She stole it back ... sigh. Anywho, do you know what she also stole from me?!? Harry Potter!!! No, just kidding, I never owned him. He and all his appendages belong to the fantabulous JK Rowling!


	14. Ditching

Chapter 14

"OH my god!" Katie groaned and rolled over. She looked around the room; they were in the Room of Requirement. She chuckled as she saw the positions of her five friends. Fred and Angelina were snuggled up on the couch side-by-side, George was lying on the floor in front on the couch with Alicia's head on his chest, and Oliver had his head on Katie's stomach as they were both lying on the floor. "Guys, wake up!" They had gone to the Room of Requirement the night before to play some Exploding Snap and talk. Considering that Katie and Oliver didn't want the whole school knowing about their relationship, but they still wanted to act like they were together, the only place to accomplish all of these things was the Room of Requirement.

"Katie, it's a weekend, go back to sleep," Angelina moaned as she cuddled closer to Fred. Katie rolled her eyes as Oliver stirred. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning. He looked around for a moment and then broke into a grin as his eyes met Katie's.

"Good morning, m'dear." Katie laughed and scooted over so that she was lying beside him. Oliver smiled down at her and captured her lips with his before she could reply.

"Ol, gerrof me." It took a few moments for Oliver to understand what Katie had said, but it finally did sink in. He pulled out of the kiss and rolled over. Katie smirked and rolled over on top of him, her long hair falling on either side of his face.

"Sorry, you're just so ... bloody beautiful." Katie blushed as Oliver stroked her cheek with his thumb. "So what are we going to do today?"

"I thought we had practice?" Oliver shrugged as best he could with Katie lying on top of him.

"Yeah, but I'm shortening it to a two hour practice so that I can spend some time with my girlfriend." Oliver craned his neck and kissed Katie lightly on the cheek.

"I never thought I'd see the day." Katie sighed and lay her head down on Oliver's shoulder. He brushed her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. "Why don't we go to Hogsmeade?"

"Brilliant." Oliver smiled as he thought about the last time he went to Hogsmead; _Sodding horrible day._

**A Random Corridor**

Angelina let out a tiny yelp as someone pulled her into the spare classroom she was passing. She turned around surprised to see Fred cock an eyebrow at her as a smirk formed on his face.

"You git, what are you doing?"

"Come with me ... let's go to Hogsmeade." Angelina rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No way. Oliver would murder us if we missed practice. After practice." Fred sighed and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck repeatedly, something he knew would make her agree to anything.

"I'm tired of doing what we're supposed to ... let's do something totally off kilter ... just this once. Please?" he said between kisses. Angelina laughed.

"Since when is anything you do what you're supposed to do?"

"Yeah, but we always show up when we're supposed to and do relatively what's expected. Come on, please?" Fred continued to kiss her throughout his sentence.

"Alright, come on. But I need to change first." Fred let out a triumphant cry as he picked up his girlfriend around the waist and twirled her around in a circle. "Okay, Fred, put me down!" Fred happily obliged to Angelina's request and followed her to her Dormitory so she could change.

**Library**

"Kate ... you shouldn't be studying at a time like this." Oliver checked to make sure no one was watching before wrapping his arms around Katie's neck from behind and kissing her jaw line several times.

"A time like what?"

"Quality snogging time of course." Katie rolled her eyes and continued to make an attempt at finishing her Ancient Runes Essay. However, with Oliver kissing her, it was hard not to get distracted.

"Ol', we have to go to practice in like 5 minutes anyways." Katie rolled her eyes again as Oliver mumbled something about 'plenty of time for a good snog' into her neck between kisses. "Oliver, come on. I want to finish this bloody essay before we have practice. I was hoping not to have to do any homework tomorrow."

"Then let's not go to practice." Katie almost had a heart attack.

"What?!"

"I said, let's not go to practice." Katie laughed and shook her head.

"There's no sodding way I just heard Oliver Wood suggest that we ditch Quidditch practice." Oliver pretended to be offended, but Katie just grabbed his collar and pulled him into a rather passionate kiss. As she pulled away, she noticed the goofy smile on Oliver's face.

"I don't know how you do that."

"Do what?"

"All the girls I've kissed ... bloody hell, all the girls I've known and you're the only one who can influence me like that. Kiss me like that again and I'll tell you what we're going to do instead of going to Quidditch practice." Katie laughed but pulled Oliver into another kiss nonetheless.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"Have you seen George?" Alicia asked Lee, who had just walked in through the portrait hole.

"What do you need with George, my dear?" George came around the corner and smirked, but his expression fell when he saw the sad look on Alicia's face. "What's wrong, 'Licia?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit, tell me what's wrong." Alicia sighed and pulled her boyfriend over to the couch where she flopped down and George sat down next to her.

"I got an owl from my mum ... its nothing really."

"Alicia, what happened?"

"My aunts sick ... they don't know what's wrong. They sent her to St. Mungo's." George wrapped his arms around Alicia comfortingly. She put her head underneath his chin as she continued, "She'll probably be fine, it just caught me off guard is all."

"Don't worry about it ... you know what, we're going to skip practice. You don't need Oliver breathing down your neck for the next two bloody hours. If he's got a problem, he can take it up with me." Alicia smiled and kissed George lightly on the cheek.

"What're we going to do? I don't really want to sit around here ... doing something will get my mind off of it better." George smirked, thinking of something that would definitely keep her mind off her aunt, but decided to suggest a different activity.

"Let's go down to Hogsmeade, no students will be up there and we haven't been there in what ... 4 weeks now?"

"Okay! I'll go get changed and meet you back here in half an hour." Alicia jumped up, kissed George and ran off to her Dormitory.

**Quidditch Pitch**

"Where the sodding hell is everyone?" Harry looked around the deserted pitch; practice was supposed to start 45 minutes ago, but he was the only one there.

A/N: Haha, that's great! Remember that they didn't talk to each other! There's a tad bit of cotton here and in the next few chapters, so bear with me! How was this? I dunno if I really liked it or not, I may have to delete it all and re-write it ... that's what my lovurlee reviewers are for! Please review! Mucho thanko!

**MasterHarperMenolly:** Yes, much fluff and cotton in this chapter! My friend says you need to write a story because only awesome stories could come from an awesome penname like yours! Anywho, how did you like this one?

**DarkRose:** OK, the whole thing with her change of heart was a little sudden but then not so much. She just doesn't want the whole world knowing about her love life. Also, she doesn't want to get a bad reputation for breaking up with Cedric and snogging Oliver in the same day. Yeah, it was funny in a dry, morbid kind of way. How was this?

**HarryPotterFan670:** LOL, that makes me very happy! How was this one?

Disclaimer: Je ne sais pas! ... wait no ... damn if I wasn't failing French I'd be able to tell you that I don't own Harry Potter!


	15. The Day We Met

Chapter 15

"Fred? What's wrong?" Angelina shifted closer to Fred, who was playing with his fork absentmindedly. They were in a booth at the back of The Three Broomsticks having butterbeer.

"What d'you mean?"

"I dunno ... you seem really distant. What's bothering you?" Fred sighed and dropped the fork. He looked at Angelina and smiled weakly.

"I just ... you know how its always the Weasley twins? It's never Fred Weasley and George Weasley, its Fred and George. I can't help but feel like I'm only half ... like I'm not my own person." Fred sighed and stared at the table. Angelina smiled and wrapped her arms around his middle. He put his arm around her shoulders as she rested her head on his chest.

"You _are_ your own person, Fred. You and George are completely different and ... you function on your own. I don't know how to explain it, but you fit together but you stand just as well on your own." Fred sighed and kissed Angelina's forehead.

"Do you ... do you ever get us confused like everyone else does?" Angelina burst out laughing at Fred's statement.

"When I first met you, yes, but not even close! Besides the fact that your personalities are so completely different, you look different too."

"Sorry to break this to you, 'Lina, but we're identical twins. We can't possibly look that different."

"But you do! Your nose is a little thinner and George's has the bump where he broke it. You have more freckles than he does, not a lot more, but more nonetheless. And your voices are different; yours is deeper than George's." Fred chuckled and shook his head.

"No one's ever noticed all that before. Thanks, 'Lina." Angelina smiled and, wrapping her arm around Fred's neck, pulled his head down to hers.

"After six years of knowing you, and four of having a crush on you, you'd think I'd notice a few things," she whispered before kissing him rather deeply.

**Madame Malkin's**

"Damn Kate, I really don't get why you hate dress robes." Katie blushed as Oliver circled her, running his hand along her waist. "You look bloody fine in them."

"I'd rather look bloody fine in my Quidditch robes with my hair in a pony tail. I feel like I'm out of my element right now." Katie wrinkled up her nose at the image in the mirror in front of her.

"Maybe you just fit into several different elements. Ever thought about that?" Oliver whispered in her ear huskily, giving her a little chill. Katie turned around, kissed him, and then walked back into the dressing room. She reappeared a few minutes later carrying a set of every day, black robes and the emerald green dress robes she had tried on. She walked up to the counter.

"I'll take these," Katie handed the black robes to Madame Malkin, "but not these," along with the green ones. She paid and took the bag from Madame Malkin, before turning around and holding out her hand for Oliver to take. Oliver smiled and entwined his fingers with Katie's as they walked out into the street. "Sorry about that, Mum's been after me to get a new set of robes. My only black ones not for school are a little short."

"Don't worry about it. I enjoyed watching you try all those dress robes on." Katie rolled her eyes as Oliver chuckled.

"Yeah well, don't get too excited, I hate clothes shopping." Katie smiled as she realized Oliver was leading her towards Honeydukes. "So what're you doing for Christmas Ol'?"

Oliver shrugged, "My parents are going to visit my aunt and uncle in America. I dunno if I'm gonna go with them yet."

"Well, would you like to come stay with us for the holidays?"

"Really? That'd be okay? What about your parents?" Katie laughed.

"My parents absolutely love you, I don't think you have to worry about them."

"What about you?" Oliver asked in a little more serious tone.

"Of course I want you to come stay with us for Christmas. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't. But now the real question is, do you want to?" Oliver smiled his cheeky Scottish grin.

"Because I'm actually crazy enough to pass up an opportunity to spend three weeks with my best friend, who also happens to be my girlfriend." Katie leaned over and kissed Oliver's cheek.

"Hey that looks like ... oh my god it is! That's George and Alicia snogging there in front of Honeydukes!" Oliver followed Katie's gaze and, sure enough, there was a boy with flaming red hair, which could only be a Weasley, snogging a girl with shoulder length black hair, who could only be Alicia.

As Katie and Oliver neared them, he cleared his throat loudly. But George and Alicia ignored him. "Ahem!"

"You know what buddy – oh hello Oliver. Katie."

"Hi, loves." Alicia smiled from behind George.

"Can I ask why you aren't at practice?"

"Umm, Oliver, in case you haven't noticed you're not at practice either." Realization came over George's face at Alicia's statement.

"Yeah, Oliver. Why aren't you at practice?!"

"Eh, its her fault." Oliver jerked his thumb at Katie.

"Yeah right! He dragged me away from my homework to come here and ditch practice." Alicia and George cocked an eyebrow at Oliver.

"You've really had a good influence on that one, Katie." Alicia and Katie exchanged a smile.

"You might call it a bad influence, 'Licia." Oliver rolled his eyes as Alicia shrugged.

"What are you two doing anyway?" George asked as he tightened his hold on Alicia's waist, the cold starting to eat through their thick cloaks.

"We were going to get some candy; we all know what you were doing." Oliver smirked.

"Well I'm freezing my bloody arse off, anyone up for a hot butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks?" Everyone nodded and the four friends started off towards the tavern.

**The Three Broomsticks**

"I can't believe we'll be leaving for the holidays in three weeks! It feels like we were standing on platform 9 ¾ yesterday." Angelina sighed, leaning her head on Fred's shoulder, as she took another sip of her butterbeer. George, Alicia, Oliver, and Katie had discovered Angelina and Fred at the Three Broomsticks. They had a conversation strikingly similar to the one they had had in front of Honeydukes, before deciding to join them at their booth.

"Yeah ... bloody hell it feels like I was just meeting you all yesterday!" Katie laughed and ran a hand through her long hair.

**Flashback**

"Oh my little baby! Off to Hogwarts!" Katie snickered at the boy who was being smothered by his mother.

_"Could you give me some help?" Katie whirled around to see a girl with long black hair and deep brown eyes struggling with her cart._

_"Yeah, of course." Katie smiled and helped the girl with her trunk. "I'm Katie, by the way, Katie Bell."_

_"Alicia Spinnet." The two girls exchanged a smile and started for the train. Halfway onto the train, they were run into by two tall, lanky boys with flaming red hair._

_"Oh! Terribly sorry about that mates."_

_"I'm Fred Weasley and this is my brother George." Fred and George smiled and shook the girls' hands enthusiastically._

_"Katie Bell, this is Alicia Spinnett." George's eyes lingered a little longer on Alicia._

_"We're first years, you too?" The girls nodded in answer to George's question._

_"Hey you guys, you should get on the train. It's leaving soon." A girl with wavy dirty blonde hair told them through the open window of her compartment. "I'm Angelina Johnson, by the way. There's no one else in this compartment if you'd like to join me." The four first years clambered onto the train and into Angelina's compartment. They all introduced themselves and sat down, waiting for the train to leave. A few minutes later, Katie noticed that the same boy was still being smothered by his bawling mother._

_"Hey, I'll be right back." Katie walked out onto the platform and up to the boy. She tapped him on the shoulder. "You're umm ... you're going to miss the train if you don't get on soon." He smiled at her gratefully._

_"All right dear, you'd better go. Send me an owl as soon as you get there." The boy waved at his mother as he followed Katie back to the train._

_"Thank you so much! I'm Oliver Wood." He held out his hand and Katie shook it, smiling._

_"I'm Katie Bell. I'm assuming from your Mum's reaction that you're a first year?" Oliver nodded as he pulled his trunk onto the train. "Me too." He started to go off in the opposite direction as Katie, but she grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, we've got a compartment already. You're welcome to join us."_

_"Really? I mean, are you sure I wouldn't be intruding?"_

_"Of course not! Come on, hey is that a Quidditch magazine?" Katie pointed to the magazine that was tucked underneath Oliver's arm as they entered the compartment._

_"Quidditch? I love Quidditch ......_

**Back to the Present**

"We spent almost the entire train ride talking about Quidditch. That was brilliant ... easily the best day of my life." Alicia smiled warmly at her friends.

"Bloody hell! You guys it's almost eleven, we've got to get back to school." Everyone groaned as they climbed out of the booth. Fred and Angelina snuggled close as they started for Honeydukes. Oliver and Katie wrapped their arms around each other and George wrapped his arm around Alicia's waist, half-supporting her as she was starting to doze off. Somehow, they all managed to get back to the school and into their Dormitories without getting caught. Full of butterbeer and chocolate from Honeyduke's, everyone slept peacefully.

A/N: Hehe, cute little flash-backy there for ya! Hope you liked it. Fred was having an identity crisis, but he's better now, so no more sadness! I'd like to remind you all that no one (besides the twins, Alicia, and Angelina) knows about Oliver and Katie's relationship. That will come up in the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, I was out of town this weekend and had no Internet access, so I couldn't post it. I hope you all still liked it! Lots of fluff and a bit of cotton, not to mention a bit of snogging but I'm sure I didn't need to state the obvious! Please review!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Thank you so much! I hope this was fluffy enough for ya. I have no intention of stopping this fic until it is completely finished; so don't trouble your pretty little head! How was this one?

**DarkRose:** Some of the things you think I'm implying, I am implying. Some of them are just products of your sick and twisted mind ... but eh, mine's sick and twisted too so you're in very good company! You went insane a long time ago, dear. Thanks a bunch, yes! Time to Burn has been updated!

**Beckysue2:** Haha, yes, poor Harry! If you noticed, no one remembered about him in this chapter either! Hope you liked this chapter; please review!

**Sandofia:** Yay! I hope this was fluffy enough, but not too much fluff that you suffocate! Yes, something big is coming ... eventually. Diggory is involved, sort of, but he's kind of just there. I doubt you'll guess what's going to happen, but you're welcome to keep trying! Thanks a bunch! How was this one?

**MasterHarperMenolly:** Apparently, not enough! (love that line and love that you used it!!!) I'm so flattered, but you're probably capable of a lot more than you give yourself credit for! Thanks so much, poor Harry! How was this?

**Cherdy the Molologist:** Thanks a bunch! Did you like this one?

Disclaimer: Moi? Own Harry Potter? What are you smoking? (hehe, dedicated to **MasterHarperMenolly!**)


	16. Problems with a Certain Slytherin

Chapter 16

Katie sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to the warm body next to her. Her eyes flew open as she realized the situation. She looked up to find that Oliver was already awake and looking at her. She rolled her eyes as she remembered last night's events. They had all trudged back from Hogsmeade dead tired. They decided that it would take too much effort to climb up the stairs to their dormitories. Katie was able to summon two sleeping bags. But, Fred and Angelina and George and Alicia had dibbed them, so Katie and Oliver had curled up on the couch together.

"Good morning sleeping beauty. Sleep well?" Katie chuckled and laid her head against Oliver's chest.

"It's hard not to sleep well when you're curled up on a couch with a warm, buff Oliver Wood." Oliver laughed quietly and kissed Katie's head. "Tell me its still early and no one's down here."

"5 AM and just us six, love."

"Good, 'cause there's no way I want to leave this spot, not yet anyways." Katie closed her eyes and pressed herself closer to Oliver, kissing his chin. After they had contently lain there for some time, Oliver brought up the issue of the Yule Ball.

"So what are we going to do about the ball?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Well if we don't want people to know about us, then going together isn't really an option." Katie sighed and played absentmindedly, with Oliver's fingers, which were entwined with hers.

"Can we just go as friends, like last year?" Oliver groaned at this. "I know, I'm sorry. But please Ol'? Please?" Katie opened her eyes and, tilting her head up and gave Oliver a puppy-dog face. Oliver sighed and kissed her.

"You know some would argue that you have too much power, Kate." Oliver chuckled as Katie bit her lip, smiling sheepishly.

**Potions**

"Miss Bell since you and Mr. Wood are having such a wonderful time talking, would you care to hand in your potion? It must be done by now, I'm sure." Snape sneered; when Katie and Oliver wouldn't be able to hand in their potion, he would give them a big fat zero.

"Of course, Professor." Katie smiled sweetly and walked up to the desk, carrying two pieces of parchment (one her essay and one Oliver's) and a vial of purple potion. Snape's eye twitched slightly and he glared more intensely at Katie.

"Thank you Miss Bell." Katie smiled again, even more sweetly than the first time, and returned to her seat next to Oliver. Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia, and Oliver were all shaking with silent laughter. Katie smirked and sat down, receiving a few glares from some the Slytherins.

"That was bloody brilliant. Did you see the look on his face?!" Oliver covered his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing. Katie chuckled and nodded, but then she suddenly felt someone's eyes on her. She turned around and looked at the twins, Angelina, and Alicia; they were all working intently on their potion, well at least as intently as the Weasely twins could ever work. She scanned the rest of the classroom until her eyes fell on a certain Slytherin; Marcus Flint. He was smirking at her; cocking an eyebrow suggestively before going back to his work. Katie shuddered involuntarily; thankful that Marcus' eyes were no longer on her.

"Kate, what's wrong?" Katie turned back to Oliver who was looking at her with a worried expression.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just the cold of the dungeons I guess." Katie gave Oliver a weak smile, which apparently satisfied him because he went back to reading his Quidditch Magazine.

**An Hour Later**

"Finally dinner! I'm starving!"

"Fred, you're always starving!" Angelina rolled her eyes as they started out of the Potions classroom.

"Damn ... I left my Transfiguration essay in my dormitory. I was supposed to turn it in to McGonagall at dinner because Alicia spilled ink on it during class and I didn't have time to re-write it there," Katie said as she searched, one last time, through her bag. "You guys go on to dinner and I'll meet you there in a little while."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Ol' I need to get my essay from upstairs. Go feed that boy," Katie jerked her thumb at Fred, "and I'll see you in a little while." Oliver cocked and eyebrow but nodded and headed out of the dungeons toward the Great Hall with everyone else.

Katie made her way up to the Gryffindor Tower; just as she was about to say the password, someone grabbed her around the waist and pushed her into an empty classroom. She whirled around to see none other than Marcus Flint leaning smugly against the now closed door.

"What do you want, Flint?"

"Nothing special, just this." Flint stepped forward and, before Katie could stop him, pushed his lips against hers. Katie tried to push him off, but he was a lot stronger than she was. Thankfully, he didn't add tongue and eventually pulled away. Katie looked at him, half-fearful, half-disgusted; she realized that he was between her and the doorway. She suddenly felt very claustrophobic. She swallowed and forced herself to remain calm.

"What in the sodding hell did you do that for?" Marcus chuckled.

"I'm not going to lie, Katie. You don't look half bad, even if you are a Gryffindor. Besides, you'll be going to the Yule Ball with me and I thought we should get acquainted." He smirked at Katie's confused and outraged expression.

"I am not going to the Ball with you! You disgusting creep!" Katie tried to push her way past Marcus, but he caught her forearms. She was again suddenly aware of just how strong Marcus actually was. She winced in pain as he tightened his hold on her arms; she knew she'd have bruises there before long.

"I think you are going to the Ball with me, Kate." Katie opened her mouth to say something, but she heard someone else's voice instead.

"What in the sodding hell do you think you're doing Flint?" Oliver was standing in the doorway of the classroom; Fred and George were standing behind him glaring menacingly.

"What's it to you, Wood?" Marcus spat angrily.

"Let her go. Now." Oliver's voice was a venomous calm; a calm that made Katie shudder involuntarily. Marcus, seemingly un-phased, turned back to Katie.

"I'll let you know where I'm going to pick you up, _Kate_." Marcus leaned in and kissed Katie roughly, not allowing her to pull away. A few seconds later, Fred, Oliver, and George had stepped forward and thrown Marcus off Katie. Oliver punched him hard in the stomach when he was bent over. After checking on Katie, George and Fred strode over to Marcus, glaring. Oliver picked him up by the collar of his robes, bringing Marcus' face inches from his own.

"She said she didn't want to go to the ball with you, you sick bastard!" Marcus smirked at Oliver who threw him against the wall, outraged at Marcus' audacity. Fred walked up and kicked Marcus in the stomach several times. Marcus stumbled to his feet; only to crumple to the ground again as George kneed him in the groin. With a final glare, the three turned their attention back to Katie, silently deciding that Marcus could wait. Seizing the opportunity, Marcus pushed himself up off the ground and staggered out of the classroom.

Oliver, Fred, and George turned back to Katie with concerned looks on their faces. Katie looked up at them, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. Oliver strode over to her and enveloped her in a tight hug; Katie burst into tears. Fred came over and stroked her head as George rubbed her back. When Katie finally managed to stop crying, she pulled away from Oliver and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Are you okay?" Oliver lightly ran his finger along the bruise that was forming on Katie's left forearm. She inhaled sharply as she saw that her skin had already started to turn black and blue where Marcus had been holding her.

"I thought they went – oh my god! What happened?!" Angelina ran over to Katie and hugged her tightly, not waiting for an explanation. Alicia hurried in after her and followed suit.

"Katie, what ..." Alicia looked at Katie's arms and then at her slightly red lips, confused.

"I swear if I ever get my hands on that bastard!" Fred and George clenched their fists at Oliver's words and Katie noticed Oliver's jaw twitch involuntarily.

"Will someone please tell us what in the bloody hell is going on?!" Angelina yelled. Katie, who was already shaking uncontrollably, flinched at Angelina's harshness. Katie collapsed into the chair that was standing behind her and buried her face in her hands.

"H-he ... he t-tried to ... and then h-he kiss-kissed me ... twice," Katie stuttered.

"Who?!" Alicia looked at Katie helplessly.

"Flint." Angelina and Alicia gasped simultaneously at George's answer.

"He kissed you before?!" Katie nodded in silent answer to Fred's question.

"He thinks your going to go to the Ball with him?!" Oliver asked as he raked a hand through his hair. She nodded again. She kept her eyes on the floor; she didn't want to look at Oliver. She felt so ashamed ... that she didn't protect herself. She hated the fact that she had to have Oliver, Fred, and George always running to her rescue. Furthermore, she didn't want to see that hate in Oliver's eyes. Eyes that were normally so beautiful and deep, eyes that held so much love ... for her. But she knew, like the day on the train, they would be clouded with more loathing and anger than she cared to admit. "That ruddy bastard!"

"I ... I'd l-like to just g-go upstairs," Katie said in a small voice that didn't sound like her own. Everyone turned back to look at her with concerned expressions. She continued to avoid their eyes and stood up, walking out of the classroom. They all exchanged confused, worried looks before following her out. She whispered the password to the fat lady, unable to summon enough strength to speak aloud. She walked into the common room and then slowly up the stairs to her dormitory. Oliver glanced at his friends before following Katie upstairs.

She collapsed on her bed, burying her head in her pillow. A few minutes later, she felt someone sit down on her bed and start to rub her back soothingly. After a while, she sighed and rolled over, finding herself looking up at a very pensive Oliver Wood. She moved and laid her head in his lap; he looked down at her with an unreadable expression.

"Katie, what's wrong?" To anyone else, the question would have sounded utterly idiotic, but Katie knew what Oliver meant. "Nothing happened, he's gone. He's not going to hurt you. I promise." Katie sighed; she knew this was hurting Oliver as much as was hurting her.

"But that's the thing, Ol'. What if you hadn't been there?" Katie sat up and faced Oliver, avoiding his eyes.

"Kate, listen to me." Oliver put his hand under Katie's chin and brought her eyes up to meet his. "I will always be there for you. No matter what. I will always protect you from anything and everything. You never have to worry about me not being there because that day will never come ... ever. Do you understand?" Katie bit her lip. "Kate, I love you."

"I love you too, Oliver." His eyes widened slightly, as did Katie's; she had never said it to him like that. She had always said she loved him, but back then she had loved him as her best friend. Now, she meant it in the same way as Oliver did ... she was madly in love with him. She chuckled, "I love you!" Oliver laughed, disbelievingly, as Katie threw herself into his arms and kissed him. Katie sat up a little as Oliver deepened the kiss. She pulled away slightly and settled into his arms comfortably.

"I should probably go ... if anyone found us, this would be a very compromising situation." Katie's smile faded. "What's wrong?" Oliver asked with a worried look on his face.

"I ... never mind, it's stupid." Katie turned away, but Oliver put his hand on her cheek and pulled her back to look at him.

"What is it, Kate?"

"I just ... I'm kind of scared ... you know ..." Katie's voice trailed off and Oliver looked at her reassuringly.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay?" Katie smiled weakly and nodded as she settled into her covers. Oliver kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

"Is she okay?" Angelina asked, standing up.

"She's asleep." Oliver flopped down on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"That's not what I asked you, Oliver."

"What do you want me to say, Angelina?!" Oliver snapped, standing up. "I'm going up to bed." Oliver knew full well that that was not what he was intending to do, but he needed to tell them all something. He trudged up the stairs and, reaching his dormitory, sat down on his bed. _I can't believe I let something like that happen._ He sat on his bed prodding over what had happened for about 45 minutes.

"You're not really going to bed are you?" Fred poked his head through the door; Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head 'no'.

"If you think I'm going to let that bastard off with a few kicks in the stomach, you're nuts. Let's go." By now, the girls had gone to bed and they wouldn't question Fred, Oliver, and George about where they were going. They headed down towards the Slytherin Dormitories and, unfortunately for him, came upon Marcus as he was heading to the dormitories after Quidditch Practice. _He will wish he'd never been born,_ Oliver thought as he glared at Marcus.

A/N: I so totally owe my beta for this! I hated this chapter when I first wrote it ... frankly, it was shit. Haha, even she agreed with me. But with some help from her and some Swiss chocolate, now it's better! How did you all like it is the real question?! I really like the way this chapter turned out. I have a bit of foreshadowy goodness for you all: remember this chapter and remember how Flint was involved! Now, after I do the happy dance for a moment ... does happy dance ... on to answering your many wonderful reviews!

**Dark Rose:** LOL, thanks. I think it needed Fred's identity crisis to add some depth, haha (I can put that to words now, thanks to my Sandofia's review!). I am going to do that, next flashback! LOL, how was this one?

**MasterHarperMenolly:** Yay! I will be your first reviewer! Haha, thanks. That may happen when I get some extra time. Anywho, I know how you love my one-shots and I have a new one up! It works with _Time to Burn_ and _First Day of My Life,_ so you might be a tad confused. But you're welcome to read anyways! How was this one?

**Cherdy the Molologist:** Yeah, it was a tad boring. This one had more juice though, LOL. Did you like it? Thanks!

**AllysonKat:** LOL, I'm glad you liked it. I love their relationship! How was this one? She finally said it!!

**Sandofia:** Yay! She's my beta, she's my beta! does happy dance repeatedly in honor of my beta!! I'm glad I finally got the whole review! Christmas is coming ... and Katie and Oliver will be together! Haha, I wish it were cold here. We're still at 90 freaking degrees! Its way too damn hott in Arizona! LOL, yay! I was going for that effect and I'm glad you caught it! As to your guesses, it won't happen over Christmas. LOL, yes Katie and Oliver are involved. You were surprisingly close on the next guess, but I won't tell you in what way. No, nothing to do with Days, waaaay too confusing! LOL, the answer will be coming ... soon. Thanks! I'd as you how you liked this one but I already know! Haha!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Mucho thanko! How'd you like it?


	17. What We Want for Christmas

Chapter 17

"Morning, Kate. How're you feeling?" Katie looked around the Common Room quickly, and finding that she and Oliver were alone, leaned down and kissed him. She sat down next to him and snuggled close to his warm body.

"Besides being really bloody cold, I'm okay."

"Licia said you had a nightmare. Why didn't you come find me?" Katie smiled and kissed Oliver on the cheek.

"That's sweet ... but I'm okay." Katie shuddered slightly as the dream came back to her. In her dream, Flint had been chasing her; they were both on their brooms, but Katie was riding an extremely slow broom while Flint's was considerably faster. She had woken up in a cold sweat just before Flint reached her. "Licia and Angelina crawled into my bed until I fell asleep. I was okay, I promise Ol'."

"If you're sure." Katie smiled; Oliver was glad that her mood had improved. In all honesty, his had improved a great deal as well, although for different reasons.

"Only fools are sure."

"Are you positive?" Katie glared mockingly at Oliver.

"Let's get down to breakfast you great git." Katie started to get up, but Oliver caught her hand. He pulled her back down and into a passionate kiss. As they pulled away, Katie laughed at the goofy grin on Oliver's face.

"What?"

"You've got the cutest grin!" She gave him one more peck on the cheek before standing up and dragging him down to breakfast with her.

**The Great Hall**

"Hey you two, sleep okay Katie?"

"Yes, Fred, I slept fine. Contrary to what Lina has told you." Katie cocked an eyebrow at Angelina, who just smiled innocently. George opened his mouth to say something, but apparently spotted something very funny at the doors of the Great Hall and burst out laughing. Oliver and Fred turned to look and burst out laughing as well.

"What's going on with you three?" Alicia asked as she searched for what was seemingly so hilarious to the guys. "Oh." She giggled slightly and covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Katie and Angelina gave her questioning looks before turning to follow her gaze.

Limping over to the Slytherin table was Marcus Flint; he had his arm in a sling. His face was bruised in several places, accompanied by a cut lip and a black eye. It looked, by the way he was walking, that something was wrong with his side, as if he had bruised a rib or two. Angelina burst out laughing, but Katie just stared at her friends, annoyed that they could think it was funny.

"I can't believe you! He probably got hurt playing ... Oliver! You didn't!" Oliver smiled sheepishly at her and nodded. Katie tried to look angry, but a small smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Thanks." She leaned over and gave Oliver, Fred, and George a kiss on the cheek.

**Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory**

"So what're you wearing to the Yule Ball, Katie?" Katie smiled mischievously at Angelina and shook her head. Classes had gone relatively smoothly that day; it was just after dinner. Flint had wisely decided to steer clear of all six of them.

"Not telling." Alicia and Angelina gasped and gave her hurt looks.

"What do you mean you're not telling?"

"It's simple English, Alicia, although I could follow you in French, Spanish, or German if you like." Katie smiled sweetly. "Je ne dis pas. Yo no digo. Ich erzähle nicht. I'm not telling." She went back to her Charms book, not seeing the glare she received from Angelina and Alicia.

"You're going with Oliver, right?"

"No, Lina, I'm going with Oliver _as friends_. Now, before you drag any more secrets out of me, I'm off to the pitch!" Katie kissed her two best friends on the cheek before grabbing her broom and quidditch bag and headed for the pitch.

"She's planned something." Angelina nodded in response to Alicia's statement.

"I wonder what ..."

**The Quidditch Pitch**

"Hey you gits!" Katie waved as she kicked off the ground and flew up to George and Fred, who were whacking a Bludger back and forth between them.

"Oy! Katie, what're you doing out here?"

"Oh, Fred, I'm hurt that you don't want to practice with your insanely beautiful chaser."

"Not to mention modest." Katie stuck her tongue out at George, who laughed.

"No, I just thought you'd be inside with Angelina and Alicia planning out exactly what you're going to wear for the Yule Ball. It's in a week you know." Katie rolled her eyes; why was it that everyone was so interested in the details concerning her, the ball, and Oliver?

"I've already decided what I'm going to wear. Besides, they were harassing me about ... certain things." Katie avoided Fred's eyes by doing a few tricks with the Quaffle in her hands.

"Certain things being how you and Oliver are going to the Ball _as friends?_" Katie chucked the Quaffle at George, hitting him in the stomach. "Ow! Katie!"

"You deserved it, you prat." Katie looked around unhappily and sighed. "I'm really fidgety today. Have you seen Oliver?"

"Okay, I'm not sure how exactly those two thoughts connect, but no we haven't seen him." Fred shook his head to emphasize his point.

"It connects because when I'm fidgety I run, and when I run, I run with Oliver. Oh well, I'll run by myself. I'm too lazy to go find him. I'll see you two later!" Katie waved as she flew off towards the locker rooms. For some reason, she didn't feel like practicing anymore. She needed to get all of the excitement over her plan for the Ball out of her system.

**Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory**

"Katie was looking for you mate," Fred said without looking up from his magazine when Oliver walked in.

"D'you know why?"

"She said she was going to run, and that she wanted you to run with her. But since she was too lazy to come find you, she decided to run by herself," George said as he dried his hair, having just taken a shower.

"I doubt she's still running." Oliver shrugged as he put his bag down and flopped onto his bed. "I was in the Library studying for the bloody potions final on Friday." Snape had decided that the sixth years needed a half-year final. Friday was their last day of Potions until after the holidays. On Monday they had Transfiguration and Charms, and then they were off for the rest of the week. The Yule Ball was on Wednesday, exactly one week away, and everyone leaving for the holidays would be leaving the following Friday.

"What's bothering you?" Oliver ran a hand through his hair, trying to decide how best to answer Fred's question.

"I guess I'm kind of ... I don't know. Maybe, a little hurt that Katie wants to go the Yule Ball _as friends_. I know she doesn't want the whole school knowing the details of her love life ... but I really hate this having to – this is grossing you out isn't it?" Oliver chuckled, he could understand why, Katie was practically Fred and George's sister.

"No, but I know what you mean." George sat down on his bed and gave Oliver a sympathetic look.

"Though, come on Oliver. It's Katie we're talking about, you know how her mind works. In a few days, she'll change her mind and decide that she wants the entire world to know that she's in love with Oliver Wood. So give her those few days to change her mind and we'll all be out of this predicament." Oliver and George gaped at the sage words that had just come out of, none other than Fred Weasley's mouth. Fred smiled and shrugged. "Lina rubbed off on me I guess." His ears turned a color that could rival his hair as he buried his face in his Quidditch magazine once again.

George shrugged, "He is right though, Oliver."

"Yeah, I guess so. Did you two invite Angelina and Alicia to The Burrow for Christmas yet?" George and Fred groaned simultaneously. "I guess not."

"'Licia's going to Prague to visit her Mum's aunt and cousins."

"And Lina's going home to her parents, but her Dad refuses to let her leave since it's family reunion year."

"I'm sorry, mates, that's horrible."

"I guess you'll be the only one getting what you want for Christmas, Oliver." George sighed as he crawled into bed. Oliver chuckled; he really was looking forward to spending the holidays with Katie.

**Slytherin Common Room**

"That little bastard! I can't believe what they did to you sweetheart." Morgana Montague kissed Marcus lightly on the cheek. He smirked; he had her completely wrapped around his finger.

"Lucky there isn't a Quidditch match until after the holidays, or I wouldn't be able to play."

"Oh! Poor thing!" At that moment, Marcus got a most brilliant idea. He smirked his trade-mark Slytherin smirk as Morgana continued to fawn over him.

A/N: There we are, everyone! Sorry for the wait ... lightning and other natural phenomenon prevented me from posting it. Special thanks to my beta; she was out of town and still managed to beta!! Yay! I hope you all liked this. The next chapter was theoretically supposed to be posted at the same time as this one, but there's a convo (or lack thereof) that's giving me creative issues. So it will be posted in a little while. Please please review! I'm feeling a tad bit unloved by the only 3 reviews for chapter 16 ... tear But mucho thanks to those three people!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Haha, thanks. Dunno how to spell it either, but I'm flattered. How was this?

**MasterHarper Menolly:** LOL, don't worry about it. I'm glad you liked it ... if you think of what was missing let me know. Thanks anywho, how was this one?

**Pokethepenguin01:** Haha, I'm so flattered! No, I couldn't kill her off. Thanks so much, how was this one?


	18. Sometimes Wishes Do Come True

Chapter 18

"Katie?! Come on! We're going to be late!" Angelina's jaw dropped as Katie walked out of the bathroom. She had a towel wrapped around her hair and was still wearing her bathrobe. "Katie! The Ball starts in like 15 minutes!"

"I know, have fun. I'll see you in about an hour or so." Katie smiled sweetly and gently nudged Angelina out the dormitory door. "Tell Oliver I'll meet him there." Katie winked as she shut the door behind Angelina. Angelina walked down the stairs a little way. Straightened her dress, and started down the stairs to meet Fred.

**The Great Hall**

"Don't look so down Oliver. She'll be here." George clapped Oliver on the back before Alicia dragged him onto the dance floor. Alicia looked brilliant, as did Angelina. Alicia was wearing a royal purple, spaghetti-strap, flowing dress. It fell just short enough so that she wouldn't trip on it, revealing matching purple, strappy sandals. She had her hair up in a loose bun, with several tendrils hanging down, framing her face. A single white rose was tucked into her bun; it matched the white rose on George's lapel.

Angelina, on the other hand, was dressed in a traditional black ball gown. It was full length and strapless; there were black sequins around the bodice. It complemented her lean frame extremely well. Her hair was partially down, in long spiral curls, and partially tucked back by a black clip, in which rested a pink rose. Fred had a matching pink rose on his lapel.

Fred, George, and Oliver were all in black, dress robes with white dress shirts. The girls had picked out their ties so they would match; George's was a royal purple and Fred's was black. Oliver had returned from lunch that day to find a blood-red tie lying on his bed, along with a rose of the same color.

Oliver sighed as he watched his friends dance; where in the hell was Katie? He sat down at one of the tables and sipped his drink. This wasn't like Katie to be mysterious; she was usually so blunt and forward. Fred and Angelina came over to Oliver a few minutes later.

"I don't know here she could be. It's not like her to –"

"Bloody sodding hell!" Fred blinked a few times, staring at the door of the Great Hall. Oliver stood up and followed his gaze. It was Katie.

She had just walked in and was looking around for Oliver. When she saw him, she smiled and started walking over. She was dressed in a red and black cocktail dress that came just above her knee, showing off her fabulous legs. She was wearing a pair of jet-black stiletto heels, giving her legs an even longer, leaner appearance. The dress was a silky material; it was black with a red dragon snaking around her tiny waist. At the bottom, flames flared out in a tasteful way and the edge of the dress flipped out a bit. It was a halter dress, and Katie was wearing a silver necklace with a single black pearl on it. Her hair was half pulled back with a black clip, the rest of it hung around her shoulders in long, spiral curls. Tucked inside the clip was a rose that matched Oliver's. She was wearing a pair of elbow-length black, silk gloves. She was also wearing quite a bit of makeup in comparison to her normal routine of none at all, but it was extremely tasteful and accentuated her features very nicely.

Angelina put a finger under both Fred and Oliver's chins, closing their mouths, before running up to Katie. Oliver didn't catch what they said to each other, he was too busy staring at Katie. He'd never seen her look so beautiful. Angelina smiled at Oliver before hurrying away, dragging a very shocked Fred with her.

"Hi, Ol'." Katie smiled and looked at the ground, blushing at the fact that Oliver was still staring at her. He put a finger under her chin, raising her head to look her in the eyes.

"Katie you ... you look mesmerizing!"

"Thanks Oliver." Katie smiled and sat down. Oliver sat down next to her, still in shock. "Remember when we went to the Masquerade Ball they had during second year?" Katie asked with a little laugh, and Oliver nodded with wistful smile on his content face. "And we danced tango. You had that crazy rose." Oliver laughed, and failed to notice the mischievous glint in Katie's eyes.

After a few moments of silence, Oliver took Katie's hand and kissed it affectionately. She looked up, rather surprised, at Oliver's wide grin. "What?" Oliver shook his head and just continued to smile as he looked back at the dance floor. "Sickle for your thoughts?"

Oliver chuckled and whispered, "Just thinking about how lucky I am that I'm here with the most beautiful woman in the world ... and what's more; she's mine." Katie blushed a deep shade of crimson and looked at the floor. "It's true, Katie."

"Not half-bad yourself, Oliver." He smiled and cupped her face in his hands, making her look him in the eyes. Katie smiled as he rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs.

"It appears you definitely have more than one element, Miss Bell." Oliver almost leaned in to kiss her, but remembering that they were only here _as friends_, he just smiled and turned back to watch people dance. He let his hands drop back into his lap, feeling a twinge of sadness.

**An Hour Later**

"You two have barely danced at all!" Alicia sat down across from Katie at the table, followed a moment later by George. Katie and Oliver exchanged a small smile and shrugged simultaneously.

"Get your arse up and take the girl out there to dance." George whacked Oliver on the arm and gestured towards the dance floor, as Katie laughed.

"Okay we'll go, but I have to request a song first!" Katie winked at Oliver before running off towards the DJ's table, which was where the teacher's table normally was placed.

"That girl has something up her sleeves and I'm rather afraid to find out what it is."

"Oh George, stop being so dramatic!" Alicia laughed at George's expression of mock hurt.

Katie came back a few minutes later and, grabbing Oliver's hand dragged him onto the dance floor. She pushed him towards the middle and then disappeared. Oliver turned around several times to see where she had gone. She re-appeared a few seconds later, holding a long-stemmed red rose between her teeth. Oliver laughed as the music started to play. It was tango.

He offered his hand to her and she took it. Several people gasped as they realized that the stunning girl dancing with Oliver, was Katie Bell. He smiled as they took the first few steps in the dance; their bodies were pressed close. He closed his eyes and took in her fragrance; he wasn't sure if it was her smell or her mere presence, but something was extremely intoxicating.

Oliver twirled Katie and then brought her back to him, dipping her. When she was still in the dip, he grabbed the rose out of her mouth with his own teeth. He twirled her again when he pulled her out of the dip, before bringing her back to him.

By now, the only people dancing were Katie and Oliver. Not many other people knew the dance, as it was an old muggle one. Katie had made Oliver learn it the summer after fourth year; she had bee obsessed with ballroom dancing that summer and tango was the least extravagant dance he had been forced to learn. In addition, Katie and Oliver looked ... well perfect on the dance floor and no one wanted to interrupt the magical harmony of what they where witnessing. They looked like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; the perfect couple, dancing impeccably to a beautiful song.

As Oliver dipped her a second time, she took the rose back. They continued to dance; Oliver would twirl, dip, and spin her at all the right times. And Katie let him lead; allowing herself to be twirled, dipped, and spun. She smiled in anticipation as the final chords of the song started to play.

Oliver pulled her out of the final dip as the music faded away. Katie was still clutching the rose between her teeth and both of them were breathing quite heavily. She plucked the rose from her mouth with her slender, gloved hand. Oliver vaguely noticed that everyone was still circling them, as if waiting to see what was going to happen.

Katie wrapped her arm around Oliver's neck and pulled him closer. She leaned in and kissed him extremely passionately. Oliver's arms wrapped, reflexively, around her waist as her tongue massaged his. This was accompanied by quite a few gasps from the students around them. She smiled mischievously as she pulled out of the kiss.

"Thanks for the dance Oliver." She broke out of his arms and sauntered out of the Great Hall, swinging the rose lazily in her hand. Oliver watched her leave, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Her hair gave a little flip as she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

A/N: Yay! Katie finally lets it all out in the open! Sorry this took so long ... I was contemplating adding more but then decided not to. Hope you all enjoyed this. Seeing as I have a terrible migraine and really don't feel well, it would make me so immensely happy if you would review! Thanks to all my reviewers ... 29 more and I'll be at 100! Yay!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Thanks! I'm flattered, how was this one?

**Beckysue2:** Sorry this took so long, but did you like it? Thanks!

**Books4me:** Thanks a bunch for all the reviews! How did you like this chapter?

**Luvsdabook:** I'm so flattered! LOL, I have to say that the part where Harry is all alone is one of my more brilliant scenes (or one of my only brilliant scenes). I know ... you will come to hate Marcus even more, just wait! Mwahahaha! I've sucked you in! But anywho, how was this?

**Menolly:** Haha, I'm glad! Sorry this took so long; hopefully it didn't cause you too much undue anxiety (highly doubtful, but hey). I'm flattered, as always. The plan will be a while ... the next few chapters are Christmassy goodness! How was this?

**Pokethepenguin01:** See! She changed her mind! Yay! No, I don't speak all of them. I'm okay in French and know a little Spanish, but my Mum knows German so that's how I got them. Thanks so much! Sorry this took so long, but how was it?

**Disclaimer:** The cat's out of the bag! Katie and Oliver are together and I don't own Harry Potter!

**A/N2:** Because I feel so bad for the long wait, I'm posting 19 at the same time as this one, so review for both please!


	19. Don't Forget to Breathe

Chapter 19

"Is Katie awake?" Oliver stood up and gave Angelina and Alicia eager looks. They giggled at his expression.

"Yeah, she just got out of the shower." Angelina said, giving Alicia a sly smile.

"Why don't you go up and see her?" Alicia winked inconspicuously at Angelina as Oliver nodded and ran up the girls' dormitory stairs. He reached Katie's dormitory and took a deep breath. He knocked as he simultaneously pushed the door open.

With his hand over his eyes, he peaked his head in and asked, "Are you decent?" He heard a laugh.

"Yes, Ol', come on in." Oliver smiled and put his hand down as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him. Katie was sitting cross-legged on her bed. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she was wearing Oliver's blue plaid pajama pants and an oversized white t-shirt. It said Pudlemere United across the front in big, gold letters. She smiled warmly at him and he smiled back, crossing the room and sitting down next to her on her bed.

"So about last night –" Oliver was cut off by Katie leaning forward and kissing him. He moaned as she deepened the kiss, running her hands through his hair. His hands slipped easily underneath her big t-shirt and started to trace circles on her back. Oliver chuckled and shook his head as Katie pulled out of the kiss. She smiled and slung her legs over his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Mmm, you have no idea how much I wanted to come find you and snog you senseless last night," Katie said with a grin.

"Then why didn't you?" Katie faked shock and smacked Oliver on the arm playfully.

"It would've ruined the moment!"

"Speaking of which," Oliver leaned close and whispered in Katie's ear, sending shivers up her spine, "you looked so gorgeous."

"Really now?"

"Mm-hm. When I saw you walk in, it took me a moment to realize it was you ... Katie, my Katie." He smiled and kissed her neck. "So does this mean that you're ready to tell people about our relationship?"

"No, Ol', I just kissed you in front of the whole school like that because I wanted to be interrogated by all your fainting admirers." Oliver stared at her, confused. She smiled at how his brow wrinkled when he concentrated; it was really quite cute. "Oh Oliver, you're so adorable! Of course I want to tell people!"

Oliver let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god! Don't scare me like that Kate." Katie smiled and shrugged. She pulled him closer and kissed him passionately. Just as their snogging session was getting underway, the Weasley twins burst through the dormitory door.

"Oy! Oliver! Think you can pry your lips off Katie's for a moment?" Katie and Oliver pulled away reluctantly, giving the twins annoyed glares.

"What d'you want Fred?"

"Don't worry, Oliver, you'll have plenty of time to snog Katie over the holidays." George smiled cheekily as Oliver rolled his eyes.

"But honestly, we did have a purpose, other than making sure you two remembered to breath."

"And that is?" Katie said exasperatedly, although she was still smiling.

"We wanted to spend the day with our friends –"

"And girlfriends," George supplied, blushing slightly.

Fred smirked and continued, "And girlfriends before we all left for the holidays. So we decided that we'd go to Hogsmeade and stay the night there before catching the train in the morning."

"Our Mum's cleared it with your Mum, Katie. So if you two can manage to keep your hands off each other for a little while," George started.

"We'll be leaving in an hour," Fred finished. They both flashed their friends cheeky smiles before turning and leaving the dormitory.

"Those two are really something else." Katie smiled as she snuggled comfortably against Oliver's warm body. He bent down and started to trail kisses along her neck. He smiled against her neck as she started to run her fingers through his hair, but he groaned unhappily as she pushed him away slightly. "Come on, you, we're going to Hogsmeade remember?"

"I'd rather stay here," he replied with a mischievous smile as he leaned in and started to kiss her neck again.

"Ol-iv-er! Don't make this any harder than it already is! I want to spend the day with my girls before we go away for Christmas. You have me for the entire, three week Christmas break." Oliver sighed and sat back against the headboard, as the warm feeling he felt when holding Katie started to evaporate. He glanced around the room moodily, not meeting Katie's eyes. She looked at him with a pout expression, but to no avail. Smiling mischievously, Katie crawled over to him on the bed. She leant her mouth close to his ear and, as she ran her hand up his thigh grazing restricted territory, she whispered, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

With that, Katie got up and quickly walked to the bathroom without a backwards glance. Oliver blinked a few times and, hearing the shower turn on, decided he needed a shower himself ... only he suspected his shower would be a great deal colder than Katie's.

**Hogsmeade**

"So where're we off to first, my love?" Fred smiled warmly at Angelina, who was on his arm.

"Honeydukes, of course!" Angelina replied with a giggle. She glanced behind her at the other two couples that were walking with them. George was wrapping his scarf around Alicia's neck as she tried to push him away, insisting that she wasn't cold. But George had decided that she _was_ cold and was, under no circumstances, going to let her go another step without putting on his scarf. Oliver and Katie were holding hands contentedly, talking softly to each other. Angelina smiled as Oliver kissed Katie's temple lovingly; he was perfect for her in every way.

"You're beautiful." Angelina was startled to feel Fred's warm breath on her ear. She blushed and smiled sheepishly. "It's true."

"I'm not as beautiful as you are handsome, Fred Weasley." Now it was Fred's turn to blush; his ears turned a color that could rival his hair. He cleared his throat, trying to fight down a blush, as they ducked inside Honeydukes. George, Alicia, Oliver, and Katie followed a few moments later, George having successfully gotten his scarf around Alicia's neck.

"Well, I think its time we regroup, my dears." Katie laughed at her own tone of voice, but dismissed it nonetheless. "Lina, Licia, let's go to Madame Malkins, while I'm sure those three," she jerked her thumb in the direction of the guys, "want to spend some quality time in Zonko's." Everyone nodded in agreement and went their separate ways after buying a few pieces of candy.

**Zonko's Joke Shop**

"So what'd you get Katie for Christmas, Ollie?" Oliver cringed at the childhood nickname that George had just brought out of the proverbial attic.

"Well, I've had a hard time deciding. D'you think she'd want something romantic? Or something practical?"

"Hmm, tough call there mate. I mean, Katie obviously loves the whole romantic thing," Fred said as he looked over a pack of Exploding Snap cards thoughtfully.

"But she'd probably be happy with something practical as well." George smirked at a bag of wet start fireworks and added them to the pile in his arms.

"I don't want to make her angry by getting her the wrong thing. Bloody hell, when did buying Katie a Christmas present get so sodding complicated?!"

"When you asked her to be your girlfriend," George replied, quite sagely.

"But, luckily for you, mate, there is a solution."

"And what, pray tell, would that be Fred?"

"Get her the romantic gift. The way I see it, if you get her a practical one she may be a little disappointed. But if you get her the romantic one, she'll be totally overwhelmed and throw herself on you ... and eww, I'm gonna stop because this is grossing me out." Fred screwed up his face before continuing to look through the many pranking supplies.

"What if she gets me something practical and feels bad when I get her something romantic?" Fred and George exchanged confused looks and then seemed oddly pensive for a moment, before George replied.

"You're still okay, because then she will feel so lucky that she has such a great boyfriend. And she'll start to talk about how she doesn't deserve you," George stopped, knowing that his twin would finish his thought.

"And then you tell her that it's _you_ that doesn't deserve _her_. She'll be all the happier with you and won't even know the difference." Fred and George smiled triumphantly as Oliver chuckled. The twins could be rather smart when they wanted to be.

"I guess we've got to visit the jewelry store then, mates."

**Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions**

"I thought you hated buying clothes," Alicia yelled to Katie, who was inside a changing room.

"I do! But ..."

"But what Katie?"

"Well, 'Lina, it's kind of a long story." Katie pushed the curtain aside to reveal her dressing in a set of stunning emerald green dress robes.

"Woah, Kates that looks bloody brilliant on you!" Katie blushed but smiled as she did a little twirl.

"You really think so Alicia?"

"Uh, Yeah!" Katie laughed, half-expecting Alicia to add a '_girlfriend!'_ to the end of her sentence.

"So what's this long story?" Angelina asked, nonchalantly as she examined her nails.

"Well ... I came up here that day we all ditched practice. I was with Oliver and I needed to buy some new robes. I tried these on and ... well let's just say his jaw dropped to the floor. But I told him there was no chance of my ever wearing them; he seemed a tad disappointed to say the least. So I thought I'd surprise him on Christmas Eve when we go to my Grandmother's for dinner and wear these." Katie smiled at her reflection; even she had to admit that the robes looked good on her. Alicia and Angelina burst into a fit of giggles. "What?!"

"Well if we had told you a year ago that you'd be in here, buying robes to impress Oliver, what would you have said?" Alicia asked, having composed herself a little.

"I would've told you I wasn't interested in donating money to the Asylum but to try back at a later date." Katie laughed, finding the humor in the situation, as she gave herself the once over in the mirror again.

**The Hogwarts Express**

"Hello!" Katie popped her head inside the compartment with a cheerful smile. She then proceeded to open the door properly and drag Oliver in after her. They flopped down on opposite ends of the compartment; Katie sitting between Alicia and Angelina and Oliver sitting between George and the window.

"Excited about Christmas there, Katie?" Fred asked with a chuckle.

"You know how much I love Christmas! Although, I would love it a lot more if I could have you four there." Katie wrapped her arms around Alicia and Angelina's shoulders.

"Aww, Katie we're touched," George said, wiping away a fake tear and putting his hand on his heart. Katie sent him a mock glare.

"I do have I question though. Are you all more or less free the day after Christmas?" Her friends nodded silently. "Then floo to my house and we're going to exchange presents, okay?"

"Why your house?" Fred asked in a childish tone.

"Because I suggested it, besides your Mum's got enough to worry about with the whole family coming home that she doesn't need 4 more rowdy people in her house. So my house at 3 o'clock then? I'm assuming you all know the address."

"3 o'clock." Everyone nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah, but exchange boyfriend/girlfriend gifts before. We don't want all that mushy stuff." Katie screwed up her face for a moment before everyone burst out laughing. Half an hour later, Angelina and Fred had gone for a "walk", Alicia and George were cuddled up on one side of the compartment sleeping soundly, and Katie had her head in Oliver's lap as he ran his fingers through her hair. "What's bothering you, Ol'?" Oliver sighed as his brow furrowed.

"I'm nervous."

"Why on earth are you nervous?"

"Meeting your family," Oliver said with a sheepish look as Katie giggled, stroking his cheek.

"You've met my family before, Ol'."

"No, I've met your family in a 'this is Oliver my best best friend, but we have a completely platonic relationship' sense, but not in a 'this is Oliver my boyfriend whom I have admittedly snogged' sense." Katie smiled warmly at Oliver; she started to say something but Oliver continued, "And after ... the accident, I can't honestly say I would be happy with me. I don't see why they should be. Frankly, I'm half afraid that your brother's going to start screaming at me in French to distract me while your father goes to get a shotgun." At this Katie burst out laughing; she shook her head. "And your Mum ... oh god, I don't even want to think about that one."

"Oh, Oliver, you're so melodramatic. My dad loves you; he has ever since the first time he met you. As for my brother, he was just confused. Everyone was, so I've heard. He really is sorry and I'm sure he'll keep his foreign obscenities in check." Katie closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Oliver's hands in her hair for a moment before continuing, "In regards to my Mum ... she loves you just as much as my dad does. Mum already knows about us and she thinks it's absolutely brilliant. If Mum is happy about it, then the whole family will be happy about it. Trust me."

"Yeah ... but that doesn't make me any less nervous." Katie shook her head, smiling. Soon Katie was contentedly drifting off to sleep, with Oliver's warm lap as her pillow.

A/N: Hello all, here we are again! I hope you all liked this chapter and, again, I'm sorry for the wait. No one's suffocating from all the fluff, I hope! Chapter 20 is well on its way to being finished, but it does need to go through my very busy beta. Ergo, I'll try and post it ASAP! Special thanks goes out to my beta, who continues to beta even though she is super super busy! Please, please review! I'm hoping to get to 100 reviews in the very near future here!

**Disclaimer:** Damn cat scratched me ... but it back in the bag. Or maybe a cage? (Yeah, yeah, I don't own Harry Potter.)


	20. Sexual Innuendos and Snowmen

Chapter 20

"Katie! Oliver! Over here dears!" Katie smiled before grabbing Oliver's hand and dragging him over to where her parents and brother were standing on the platform. She hugged each of them tightly before turning back to Oliver. Although his stomach had just hosted an explosion of butterflies, he managed to put on a smile and look comfortable.

"Mum, Dad, Paddy, you all know Oliver. Oliver these are my parents like you remember and ... I daresay you've also met Paddy," Katie said with a mischievous grin.

Oliver smiled and shook Katie's father's hand saying, "Good to see you again, Mr. Bell."

"Oh please, call me Daniel." Oliver nodded and turned to Katie's mother, who offered her hand, smiling. Oliver took it and was about to say something when she interrupted him.

"You can call me Aimee."

"Good to see you again ... Aimee." Aimee smiled warmly as Oliver turned to Patrick, who shook Oliver's hand firmly.

"Oy! You two don't think you're getting off without saying goodbye?!" Katie rolled her eyes and looked to her left, where the Weasley twins, along with Angelina and Alicia were looking at them. Fred and George were fervently waving them over.

"We'll be right back, Mum."

"Of course dear." With that, Oliver slipped his hand into Katie's and the two walked over to see their friends.

"Merlin you guys! You know how I hate goodbyes!"

"It's only for two weeks or so, Kates. Don't spring a leak!" Katie smacked Fred upside the head. Angelina looked at her watch and then sighed exasperatedly.

"Sorry guys, but I've got to go. I'll see you all at Katie's on the 26th!" Angelina hugged Katie, Oliver, Alicia, and George quickly before turning to Fred. She kissed him on the cheek, but Fred apparently had other ideas in mind, as he pulled her forward and into a rather passionate kiss. Oliver and George catcalled as Alicia and Katie just laughed. A few moments later, Angelina was finally able to break out of Fred's grasp. She attempted to glare, but a smile overtook her face. "You git!" She kissed him once more lightly before running off to meet her family. Everyone looked back at Fred who, despite his bright red color, was grinning like a fool.

"I've got to be going as well. See you soon!" Alicia hugged Katie, Oliver, and Fred. Unlike his brother, George sufficed with a chaste, but prolonged kiss before Alicia hugged him tightly and ran off down the platform.

"Kate, your Mum's waving at us." Katie looked over her shoulder to see that her Mum was, indeed, waving for them to come over.

"Alright everyone, we'll see you on the 26th."

**The Bell House**

"Merlin it's cold out there!" Katie shivered slightly as she peeled off her heavy winter coat.

"Dinner's at 7, dear. Your father's got to stop by work, Paddy's off for a touch of training, and I'm going to run some errands. So you're on your own until dinner." Aimee smiled warmly for a moment before bustling off to the kitchen, while simultaneously taking off her coat, scarf, and gloves.

"You're welcome to come to the pitch with me. No one will be training today, except me that is." Katie looked at Oliver with an expressionless face, obviously wanting him to decide. Oliver smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

"Thanks, but I kind of thought we'd hang around here. Take a break, you know? If that's alright with Kate, of course." Katie smiled warmly at Oliver before turning to her brother.

"Yeah, sounds good to me. We'll come up tomorrow maybe, Pat."

Paddy returned her smile with a knowing smirk. "Whatever you say, Kates. I'll see you at dinner then." Patrick kissed Katie quickly on the forehead before disapparating with a 'POP'. A few seconds later, Katie heard two successive 'POP's, telling her that her parents had left as well.

"So I guess it's just you and I, Katie dear." Oliver gave Katie a cheeky Scottish grin as he turned to pick up their trunks. "Lead the way, darling!" Katie wrinkled up her nose and gave him an inquisitive look.

"Darling?"

"Yes. Darling. Now where should I put these?"

"Hmm ... I like it. Come on upstairs." Katie chuckled and repeated 'darling' to herself under her breath. Kissing Oliver on the cheek as she passed, Katie proceeded up the stairs. The Bell house wasn't huge, but it was large enough to fit their family. The upstairs had 4 bedrooms; two guest rooms, Katie's room, and Patrick's room, along with 3 bathrooms; one for Katie, one for Patrick, and one for guests. The main floor held the kitchen, dining room, living room, a half-bath room, the master bedroom, and master bathroom. The basement had been converted into a game room and was stocked with several muggle games, such as foosball, air hockey, and ping-pong. As they reached the top of the stairs, Katie took her trunk from Oliver. She pointed to her left and said, "Your room's that way last –"

"Last door on the right, I know Kate. I stayed here two summers ago, remember?"

"Oh, right." Katie chuckled and started towards her own room, which was on the right hand side, last door on the left. "I'm going to change out of my robes real quick. You should unpack." Oliver smiled at Katie quickly before she disappeared into her room. He went to his own and set down his trunk. It looked much the same as it had when he had been there last; the walls were painted a cheery blue color, with hunter green trim. The queen size bed in the center of the room had a set of hunter green sheets on it. On either side of the bed was an oak bedside table; across from it was a small writing desk. On one wall was a large window; overlooking the back yard and makeshift pitch that Katie's father had built. Opposite the window, on the other wall, were the closet and a large oak bureau. He sighed and flopped down on the bed; he loved Katie's house. It smelled like Katie and firewood, presumably from the fireplace that they kept blazing for the majority of the winter and fall seasons.

A few minutes later, Oliver got up and changed out of his school robes and into a dark green button up shirt and a pair of gray trousers, before walking back to Katie's room. She was sitting on the window seat; it was a four by four square seat and the window overlooked the front yard. Katie had her hands flat on the glass and her nose smushed up against it. She was wearing a fluffy purple v-neck sweater and a pair of black trousers. Oliver chuckled and walked over to her; he climbed up on the window seat next to her and pushed his face up against the glass, imitating her.

Katie leaned over and breathed on the window between them, making it fog up. With her finger, she traced the word 'prat'. Oliver smiled cheekily. "Yeah, but you love me anyways." Katie rolled her eyes but smiled, nonetheless. He shot her a devilish smile before leaning over and suckling a sensitive spot on her neck. He felt her shiver as he pulled away. Being rather pleased with himself for getting such a reaction, Oliver said, "I believe you made me a promise you have yet to follow through with."

"That was a sexual innuendo if I ever heard one."

"_You_ are a sexual innuendo."

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Mr. Wood?"

"It means you look so damned beautiful, that I'm about two seconds away from snogging you senseless." Katie's eyebrows shot up and she stared at her boyfriend, incredulously. It surprised her how forward and blunt Oliver was being; usually she was the one being directly candid. She was about to say something when Oliver cut her off with a kiss. Katie pulled back slightly, smirking.

"You're a bloody prat Oliver ... but I must say, a bloody prat that knows damned well how to kiss." Katie grabbed Oliver's collar rather forcefully and pulled him forward, kissing him. She moaned as he deepened the kiss, their tongues flicking back and forth. A few seconds later, Katie found herself pressed up against the side of the window seat. One of her hands was tangled in Oliver's hair while the other was underneath his shirt, roaming his warm back. Oliver's hands were simultaneously rubbing her side and tracing circles on the small of her back.

Katie grinned mischievously as she pulled away; she sat up and pushed Oliver against the window, straddling him. She was immediately glad that all the windows had charms on them so no one on the outside could see inside; this situation would definitely be ... most compromising if one of the neighbors would have been watching them. Oliver sighed contentedly as Katie leaned in and captured his lips with hers. He broke away and started to trail kisses down her neck while his hands caressed the soft skin of her back and stomach. Katie's hands were massaging his neck and shoulders. She pulled his head back up to meet her lips one last time before pulling away and climbing down off the window seat.

"Eh?" Oliver stared at her, confused, trying to comprehend the situation.

"That was articulate, Ol'."

"Eh?" For whatever reason, his mouth didn't seem to be working the way he wanted it to. His brain was going a million miles an hour, but his lips were a different story. He suspected it has something to do with the fact that they were tingling slightly, a faint memory of Katie's lips on his own.

"Snow."

"What?!"

"Snow!" Katie smiled excitedly as she rummaged around in her trunk for something. She produced a pair of mittens and a scarf, both fuzzy hunter green. Apparently the Bells had a thing for hunter green. "I want to build a snowman! Come on, Oliver!" Katie grabbed Oliver's arm and dragged him off the window seat.

"Wait, wait, wait. How do you go from giving your boyfriend a well deserved snog to wanting to build a snowman?"

"Hmm ... you're right. I don't really know. But we're going to build a snowman all the same!" Oliver shook his head, smiling, as Katie pulled him down the stairs. He took his coat off the coat hanger and put it on, but apparently he was moving too slowly for Katie. "Come on Oliver! Don't be such a slug! Let's go!" Katie was out the door before he could even respond.

Oliver walked out of the house and shut the door behind him; leaning on it, he watched Katie for a few moments. She was running around in the snow, her scarf flying wildly. She was smiling a wide, genuine smile that really complimented her features. Suddenly, she flopped over in the snow and started to make a snow angel.

_Merlin, she's perfect. My best friend ... yet so much more._

Oliver was shaken out of his thoughts when Katie yelled, "You're not just going to stand there all day, are you? Come on!" She had gotten up off the ground and was admiring her snow angel. Oliver laughed and ran over to join her as she started to pile up some snow for their snowman.

_Like a ghost don't need a key_

_Your best friend I've come to be_

_Please don't think of getting up for me_

_You don't even need to speak_

With a mischievous smile, Oliver grabbed a handful of snow and chucked it at Katie when her back was turned. She stood up straight, and turned around slowly, shooting him a mock glare. Employing her fabulous chaser skills, Katie managed to hit Oliver squarely in the stomach, even though Oliver had kept his eyes on her the entire time. Ready to duck at the smallest sign of a throw.

_When I've been here for just one day_

_You'll already miss me when I go away_

_So close the blinds and shut the door_

_You won't need other friends anymore_

_Oh don't leave home, oh don't leave home_

She smiled playfully, as if waiting for Oliver to make the next move, which he was happy to oblige. Noticing the huge pile of snow behind her, left by the snow blower, he tackled her (gently) into it. Katie let out a little yelp, before bursting out laughing.

_And if you're cold, I'll keep you warm_

_If you're low, just hold on_

_Cos I will be your safety_

_Oh don't leave home_

In all reality, Katie and Oliver should have been shivering. But as they lie there together, the snow seeping into their coats, they felt just as warm as if they were sitting in front of a roaring fire. Oliver scooted up and planted a soft kiss on Katie's lips.

_And I arrived when you were weak_

_I'll make you weaker, like a child_

_Now all your love you give to me_

_When your heart is all I need_

_Oh don't leave home, oh don't leave home_

"You know, I never thought I'd end up with you," Oliver said with a smirk. "But I'm bloody glad I did." Katie rolled her eyes, but leaned over and kissed him sweetly.

_And if you're cold, I'll keep you warm_

_If you're low, just hold on_

_Cos I will be your safety_

_Oh don't leave home_

"We should go in, you're going to get sick."

"Don't be such a worry wart, Oliver. I'm perfectly warm as it is." Katie snuggled closer to Oliver, relishing the closeness and warmth.

_Oh how quiet, quiet the world can be_

_When it's just you and little me_

_Everything is clear, everything is new_

_So you won't be leaving will you_

Katie and Oliver wanted this moment to last forever; everything was perfect. There was nothing weighing on their minds; no homework, no tests, no quidditch matches that they needed to practice for, no fights between friends. Oliver had his arms wrapped tightly around Katie's waist and Katie's arms where encircling Oliver's neck. The snow was falling lightly and they could hear some kids laughing in the distance. "I suppose we should go in," Katie whispered.

"Yeah, I guess so," Oliver agreed, but neither of them moved.

_And if you're cold, I'll keep you warm_

_And if you're low, just hold on_

_Cos I will be your safety_

_Oh don't leave home_

Half and hour later, Katie and Oliver finally got up out of the snow and trudged inside.

A/N: Aww, isn't that just so adorable! I'm so sorry that this took so long, but I was really concentrating on finishing my other fic, "Days". Please don't be angry. The next chapter is partially written and has lots of Gred and Forge, so it will be up soon (soon being over the Thanksgiving Holiday). Please review!

**Sinoda:** (Chapter 18) Hehe, I'm glad you enjoyed her surprise. Merci! (Chapter 19) Haha, I'm glad you live in it. Do you ever accidentally eat it? Doesn't that taste bad? LOL! Yeah, Oliver is kind of melodramatic, but that's the way his character has to be for my situations to work. I hope you don't hate it too much. looks sheepish

**HarryPotterFan670:** (Chapter 18) Yay! I'm glad you liked it! (Chapter 19) Merci, Merci! I'm glad you have so much faith in me, LOL. As you know, "Days" was definitely updated! LOL

**beckysue2:** I'm glad you liked it! Sorry this was so late!

**AllysonKat:** Yeah, that's their thing, LOL. Haha, well he will survive ... sort of, LOL!

**qwerty:** Hehe, yes, mucho goodness will happen! Hehe.

**Anonymous**: Whoever you are, I'm so utterly flattered!

**madcow87:** Firstly, I LOBE your pen name! Hehe, that's right I LOBE it! I'm so very flattered! I'm so sorry this took so long to update. But if you'd like some consolation, go read "Days" seeing as it's finished! Merci beaucoup!

**Disclaimer:** I own Harry Potter!

"That was a lawsuit waiting to happen if I ever heard one."

"_You_ are a lawsuit waiting to happen."

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Mr. Wood?"

"It means that you DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!"

"Okay, fine. Listen to the sexy quidditch man. I don't own Harry Potter!"


	21. Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes

Chapter 21

"Hey, what're you doing down here?" Oliver was surprised to see Katie curled up in a blanket on the couch, in front of the still-roaring fire. They had eaten a quiet dinner with Katie's family, who, in all honesty, really liked Oliver. Patrick and Daniel (Katie's father) were doing their best to ignore the fact that he was Katie's boyfriend, for the time being. It would be easier for everyone if they liked him as Katie's friend and then acknowledged the fact that he was Katie's boyfriend. Aimee, on the other hand, loved the idea that Katie and Oliver were dating. They had spent dinner talking about a variety of topics, including marks, Quidditch, Puddlemere United, and Daniel's work at the Ministry. All in all Oliver had given everyone a good impression, and was feeling quite a bit more confident about being around Katie's parents.

"I couldn't sleep," Katie said softly, not turning around. "What about you?"

"Same." Oliver smiled as he sat down next to Katie; she opened up the blanket she was wrapped in, allowing Oliver to snuggle into its warmth. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest. "Sickle for your thoughts?" Oliver asked as he kissed Katie softly on the forehead.

"I was thinking about you … and us."

"Really? And what about me … and us?" Katie shrugged and smiled mysteriously. "Oh I see, playing hard to get are we?" Oliver leaned over and tried to kiss Katie's neck, but she pushed him away.

"Oh thanks for reminding me, you're in big trouble!"

"Why? What did I do?" Katie gave him an annoyed look and then turned so he could see the other side of her neck.

"You gave me a bloody hickey that's what you did." Oliver bit his lip to stifle a laugh. "I look like a damn leper."

"But hey, a hickey from Kenickie is like a Hallmark card."

"Yeah, well you're not Kenickie and I'm not Rizzo, so keep 'em to yourself." Oliver grinned and traced her jaw line with his finger.

"Ah, but something tells me that I'm not the only one that enjoyed that."

"Prat," Katie stated as she snuggled back into him.

After a few moments of silence, Oliver asked, "Katie, I thought we could go out, just the two of us, on Christmas Eve."

"That's tomorrow."

"I know. Would you like to?"

"Sure. I want to give you your present away from the prying eyes of my family anyways." Katie smiled coyly.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really." Katie laughed as she rested her head on Oliver's shoulder, sighing contentedly.

**The Next Morning, Christmas Eve; The Burrow**

"Hi, we're looking for Fred and George."

"Come on in." The redheaded man who had opened the door smiled and opened the door wider so that Angelina and Alicia could step inside. He motioned for them to take off their coats and took them once they had done so, hanging them up on the coat rack behind the door. "Ah, yes you must be Angelina and Alicia. I'm Charlie, the twin's second oldest brother. Sorry for my lack of tact, but which one is which?" The two girls laughed.

"I'm Alicia," said the girl on the right. She had long black hair and deep brown eyes and was, strangely enough, wearing a traditional Weasley jumper with a large 'G' on the front.

"And I'm Angelina," said the other girl. She had wavy dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes; she was also wearing a Weasley jumper, but hers had an 'F' on it.

"Good to meet you." Charlie shook hands with both of them, smiling. "I'm assuming by the jumpers, that you're George's girlfriend," he motioned to Alicia, "and you're Fred's girlfriend," he motioned to Angelina. "Am I right?"

"Uh-huh," Angelina answered with a smile.

"Gred, Forge! Get your arses downstairs!" There was silence for a few moments before Charlie yelled again. "Gred! Forge! Get your lazy arses out of bed!" Again, there was silence. "FREDERICK ANTHONY WEASLEY! GEORGE CHRISTOPHER WEALSEY! GET UP!"

"Oy Charlie! It's early!"

"Why do you always have to wake us up this early?!" Fred and George whined as they stumbled down the stairs, rubbing their eyes. They were both dressed in their pajamas; Fred in a pair of red flannel pants and a rumpled, blue and silver, Appleby Arrow's shirt and George in a pair of blue flannel pants with a, black and scarlet Ballycastle Bats shirt, half-on.

"Well, I suppose I could have told your girlfriends that you were asleep and to come back later." Fred and George were immediately wide-awake; having had their eyes only partially open because of the bright lights, they hadn't noticed the girls in the room. Their faces lit up at seeing Angelina and Alicia standing there. Charlie smiled and tipped an imaginary hat to the girls before leaving the room.

"Hello," the twins said at the same time.

"Good morning," Angelina and Alicia said with coy smiles.

"Oh screw the formalities!" Fred yelled. The girls laughed as the their respective boyfriends scooped them up simultaneously, kissing them.

"Ah, now that's better," Fred said with a smile.

"Now go get dressed, we have a surprise."

"But, wait, Angel, what are you two doing here?"

"Yeah, I thought you both had to stay home with family?"

"Well, we got one day to give you two your Christmas present, so go get dressed!" Alicia turned George around and nudged him towards the staircase.

**30 Minutes Later**

"Oy! Mum! We're going for a walk … or something," Fred yelled in the direction of the kitchen.

"We'll be back for dinner!" George held out his hand for Alicia and their fingers entwined automatically as she took it. The four of them stepped out into the cold, snowy world and started towards the village at the bottom of the hill.

"Actually," Angelina said as she and Alicia stopped abruptly once they were a few yards outside of The Burrow's front gate. "We'll be going to Hogsmeade, by Portkey, more specifically." She smiled deviously as she took a battered-looking quill out of her pocket and held it out for them. They all put a hand on it and in moments, felt that familiar tug at their navel.

When they were all on solid ground once again, they looked around. They were standing in the middle of the main street of Hogsmeade. To their right was Zonko's Joke Shop (which made the twin's eyes light up and Angelina and Alicia snicker quietly) and to their left was Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions (which made Angelina and Alicia's eyes light up and the twins pale slightly).

"Okay, I suppose now's as good a time as any," Alicia said, smiling mischievously as she and Angelina pulled matching black scarves out of their coats.

"What're you doing with those?" George asked warily.

"Oh come on. It won't be a surprise if we don't blindfold you!" The twins started to back away slowly, but their girlfriends were much too quick for them. They whirled the two Weasley boys around and tied the black scarves around their heads tightly, but not so much so that it would cut off circulation. Then, Angelina and Alicia started to lead them carefully down the street. Having been spun around several times in the attempt to get them blindfolded, the twins had absolutely no idea where they were going or where they were … other than that they were walking down a street in Hogsmeade. Angelina and Alicia were conversing quietly behind them, so quietly that they could only catch small bits of the conversations.

"… a year …"

"… beautiful place …"

"… so surprised … hope goes well …"

"… finally get started … it will …"

"Fred, stop trying to listen to our conversation!" Angelina cried indignantly, smacking her boyfriend upside the head from behind.

"Well I know why we've nicknamed you 'Angel'. Our sarcastic tendencies really coming out there," Fred stated with a smirk.

"Oh! We're here!" George could hear the smile in Alicia's voice as he felt himself being led inside, evident by the fact that the air was a much warmer temperature.

"Can we take these things off yet?" George asked impatiently.

"No, not yet. Just wait one more minute." Alicia and Angelina disappeared and a few moment's later, Angelina's voice rang out again "Okay, take them off!"

Within seconds the blindfolds were off and the Weasley twins were looking around, quite confused. They were in a shop; there was a counter a few yards away from them, behind which Angelina and Alicia were standing. There was a large window behind them and four, plain, gray walls around them. They could see a doorway behind the girls, which they assumed led to a back room or storage room of some sort.

"Happy Christmas!" Angelina and Alicia said together, grinning like fools.

"But," George began.

"I don't understand," Fred continued.

"Oh, I'll be happy to enlighten you, my dears." Alicia smiled even wider, if that was possible, as she came out from behind the counter. "This is a shop, a prime spot in Hogsmeade. It is of good size, particularly for a business that is just starting out. It is very near the center of the town."

"And, the day after our graduation, next year, this shop will belong to Mr. Frederick and Mr. George Weasley. It is a three year lease, with room to expand into the neighboring shops, if you so wish." Angelina giggled slightly as she finished her little explanation.

"You bought …" Fred was hopelessly unable to string more than two words together and George was much the same.

"For us?"

"All for you! Happy Christmas!" the girls chimed together. Fred and George ran to them, scooping them up in their arms and covering them with kisses, while the girls giggled. The rest of the day was spent exploring the shop and planning out exactly where everything would go. Along with some butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks and a good snog or two, of course.

A/N: Sorry this took so long; I've been super busy. I'm also really sorry because this chapter kind of sucks … a lot. Okay! Fine! It sucks ass! But I'm sorry! If I didn't post it like this and tried to re-write it, it wouldn't have been posted until after the 17th! And I don't think any of you want that! So please review, even if it is a flame (because I have some marshmallows I'd like to roast). Much thanks to **HarryPotterFan670** and **The-Dark-Rose-of-Insanity** for their loverly reviews. To the rest of you:

_**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**_

**Disclaimer:** Kale: WEE! I own Harry Potter!

Pia: ::knocks Kale out with her frying pan:: Neither he, nor I, own Harry Potter. So don't sue or I'll knock you out with my marvy frying pan of justice. Oh yeah babay! :)


	22. Wardrobe Anxiety, Being Late for Dinner

Chapter 22

"And what am I supposed to wear to this date, which you are telling me nothing about?" Katie asked with a sigh. Oliver smirked at Katie's attempt to glare at him, only to break into a grin moments later.

"Can you please let it go for the time being? You'll know what to wear, I promise. Now let's play!" Oliver rolled his eyes as he kicked off the ground and flew towards the rings. He and Katie were playing some one on one at Puddlemere's practice stadium, one of Oliver's life-long dreams, along with actually playing for Puddlemere.

Katie sighed and flew after him, a Quaffle tucked securely underneath her arm. She gave Oliver a mock glare as she leveled with him and chucked it at the center ring, but not before faking left. Katie smiled excitedly as she watched the red ball sail through the hoop.

"And how in the bloody hell did I just miss the most basic play?!"

"Because you were looking at your utterly brilliant, stunningly beautiful, amazingly talented girlfriend and weren't paying attention to the lovely little ball in my hands." Katie smirked as Oliver cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Not to mention unbelievably modest." They both laughed as Katie flew down to retrieve the Quaffle. They continued their game for a good three hours before deciding to head back to Katie's house for dinner.

"So you expect me to be able to find the perfect dress between whenever you decide to tell me where we're going and tomorrow night at seven?" Katie asked incredulously as they walked down the street towards Katie's house. They had floo'ed to a coffee shop a few blocks away from Katie's house.

"No, because I'm taking you out at five thirty, not seven. The sun sets at 5:45." Oliver smiled as Katie gaped at him.

"OLIVER!"

"Just trust me, okay, Kate? I promise that you will be caused no undue anxiety concerning your wardrobe tomorrow." She rolled her eyes, but seemed satisfied with Oliver's statement, as she linked her arm with his and set her head on his shoulder, while they walked.

**The Burrow, Fred and George's Bedroom**

"Oh! Don't go just yet!" Fred smirked and then continued in a husky voice with, "We've got some catching up to do."

"Frederick Weasley!" Angelina's tone was half-shocked and half-amused, as it always was when Fred said something utterly perverted. But then, that's part of what makes them work as a couple; Fred was perverted and Angelina was somewhat disgusted, but mostly just amused. "We just saw each other a week ago. We don't need to 'catch up'. You're just trying to get me to snog you for no good reason."

Fred pretended to look offended. "My sanity isn't a good reason? Well I'm hurt, Miss Johnson. I really am hurt." He put his hand over his heart and pretended to bite back a sob. Angelina smirked at him and walked forward, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Placing her cheek against his, she nipped his earlobe playfully and whispered, "I'm afraid your sanity was lost to us many, many years ago, my darling."

"Oh, is that so?" he whispered back, throatily. He chuckled inwardly as he started to trail kisses down Angelina's exposed neck. She shivered slightly, making Fred quite pleased with himself.

"Fred, you do know that your baby sister is watching from the doorway, right?"

"WHAT?!" Fred broke away from Angelina and whirled around to see … the closed door, just as it had been moments ago, with no one standing there. "Why you dirty little wench!"

"Who? Me?" She smiled innocently as Fred threw her a half-serious, half-mocking glare. "I'm sorry, but my mum will inflict serious bodily harm upon me if I'm not home for dinner. Which is in exactly," she glanced at her watch, "five minutes."

"Five minutes is plenty of time!" Angelina rolled her eyes and Fred sighed, defeated. "But I still need to give you your Christmas present." His spirits seemed to lift at the thought and Angelina's face lit up. He grinned as he walked over to his dresser and rummaged in the top drawer for a moment, before producing a long, black, velvet box. He donned a sheepish expression as he handed it to her and mumbled, "Happy Christmas, I know its not much compared to what you gave me."

"Oh honestly Fred! You say this to the person who gave you a sodding book for a Yule present in first year!" Angelina smiled sincerely at her boyfriend as she took the box from him. She gasped involuntarily as she opened it; inside was a beautiful silver charm bracelet with one, single charm on it. The charm was a tiny pixie that flew about sporadically, gliding gracefully until it reached the end of its 'leash'.

"Kind of a family heirloom. I enchanted it so it would move and the chain's new." Coming from anyone else, the words would have sounded tactless and awkward, but Angelina just smiled, it was one of those tiny things that made up Fred's personality; his complete tactlessness, laced with obvious sweetness.

"Oh Fred, it's beautiful."

"Really? You like it?"

"Are you kidding?! I love it!" Angelina squealed as she practically threw herself on Fred, wrapping him in an extremely tight hug and plantng a firm kiss on his lips. "I adore Pixies!"

Fred chuckled. "I know, that's why I chose it for the charm, silly."

"Well I suppose Mum can postpone dinner for just a few minutes …"

**The Burrow, The Living Room**

"I really wish I didn't have to leave so soon."

"Mmm, as do I," George replied as he buried his head in Alicia's neck, kissing it softly. She giggled softly, running the hand that wasn't entwined with his through his crimson locks. Suddenly he pulled away, a small smile on his lips. "I want to give you your Christmas present. You know, because Katie doesn't want us exchanging presents on the 26th, to avoid as much mushiness as possible."

George's smile melted into a knowing smirk as he picked up an envelope off the side table, that Alicia had not previously noticed. She gave him a confused glance as he handed the envelope to her and she opened it. Inside was a single piece of paper; she took it out and unfolded it slowly. She stared at it, quite confused. It looked like a hotel reservation confirmation, but she couldn't be sure. Before she could ask, George launched into an explanation.

"Well I know how you've always wanted to go to New York, but your parents didn't have the time and it wouldn't be feasible with your three siblings and all. So I know a guy in New York and I pulled a few strings, so now you can go there. It's all set for this summer. You and a guest for a week," he finished with a sheepish smile. "Do you like it?"

"Merlin! Ohmygosh! George this is fabulous!" She shrieked and, grabbing the front of George's sweater, pulled him, quite forcefully, into a firm kiss. He chuckled as she pulled away, staring down at the paper once more, but this time in surprise, happiness, and awe. "Wait … you said a guest?" George nodded, unsure of what she was getting at. "Does that mean I can't take you?" she asked in a dejected tone.

"Well not exactly. But I didn't want to be presumptuous. I figured you'd want to take Alicia or Katie." She smacked him lightly upside the head.

"No silly! I want to take you!"

"Really now?"

"Yes really now! I really do love it." She planted another firm kiss on his lips and had intended on pulling away after one chaste kiss, but apparently, George had other ideas and she wasn't exactly protesting.

A/N: EEEE! I have 100 reviews! No, OMG! I have **_106_** reviews! OMG! I love you guys! Now I had both this chapter and Chapter 23 finished and I wasn't going to post 23 until I got some more reviews, but then I saw that there were 106 and I just have to post it now! But please, review both and make me extremely happy! Thank you all so much!

**Goat:** Yes, okay, Angelina and Alicia have plenty of money considering their families both pretty rich and they both had summer jobs and saved up for it. Of course it's not too dirty, remember I'm the good little Catholic girl! You'll find out in Chapter 24, never fear! Merci!

**Snerfshoe:** OMG! I'm so flattered! LOL, thank you so much! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well as Chapter 23 then! Merci!

**Beckysue2:** Like I told **Goat**, their families are pretty rich and they both had summer jobs and saved up for it. Merci!

**Books4me:** Hey, don't worry about it. I know how it is with homework; I have finals next week and an entire book to read this weekend along with a term paper and lots of other shit, so you're in good company. Haha, yes, I love Charlie (I'm really interested to see what he's going to look like in the fifth movie!). Haha, you'll find out Oliver and Katie's gifts to each other in the next chapter, but I tell you Oliver's gift will make you go "AWW!" until you lose your voice, LOL! Of course, don't worry about the email, whenever you have time. Merci, merci!

**TooSweet4Words:** LOL, here's your update, two even!

**Sinoda:** Merci, merci! OOH! Then I'll have to go read it as soon as I have a spare moment!

**Bubbleishness:** Thanks so much! Haha, yes that conversation is the product of yet another utterly boring geometry class (I RP during geometry). I hope you liked this chapter better then!

**Cherdy the Molologist**: LOL, thanks!

**Mello80:** LOL! Yeah, I had to have something about the twins and their girlfriends at the request of my loverly beta. But don't worry, Chapter 24 is 100 Katie and Oliver fluff! Haha, its ironic because I don't eat popcorn and I dislike coke a lot. LOL!

**HarryPotterFan670:** Thank you so much! I'm sorry I took so long with updates on this story, but my beta's computer has finally been resurrected so hopefully the updates will come sooner now (after I finish my finals of course). Yes, I just sent the next chapter of "In My Life" to my beta yesterday and am going to start on the chapter after that next week, so it should be up soon. Of course you're not a pest! I love it when people want me to update, LOL, even though I do feel really bad for making you all wait so long. smiles sheepishly I updated "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" twice during this week, so be sure to look there!

**Disclaimer: **Hmm … me being excited about the Christmas Dance on Saturday? Yes! Me owning Harry Potter? No!


	23. Going Stale?

Chapter 23

"Hey, where are you going?" Katie looked confused; she was just stumbling into the kitchen, as Oliver and Patrick were about to leave, broomsticks in hand. Oliver chuckled as he took in her appearance; she was wearing a pair of boxer pajama pants (_his_ pants, to be exact) and a white camisole, accompanied by a blue silk robe, which came down to her hips. Her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head and she looked rather confused, not to mention only half awake. The only word he could think of to describe her in that moment was _adorable._

"We're just off to practice a little and then I have some last minute shopping to do and I'm dragging Oliver along so we can wallow in self pity that we have to go shopping, together." Patrick smiled cheekily as his mother rolled her eyes.

"Don't you usually make Mum or I do all of your Christmas shopping?" Katie asked blearily.

"Well that won't exactly work considering you can't very well buy your own presents, Katie dear."

"Oh," came the only response as Katie sat down at the table and started to nibble on some toast that her mother had handed her.

"So we'll be back later." Oliver chuckled before continuing, "I'll be back at 5:30 to pick you up, Kate." He winked at her before he and Patrick stepped into the fireplace and disappeared in a flash of green flames.

"Oh, I'm going to kill him!"

"Katherine! That was uncalled for!"

"Mum! He invited me out tonight and has told me absolutely nothing about where we are going or what I'm supposed to wear. He just said, 'I promise that you will be caused no undue anxiety concerning your wardrobe.' Come on now! What in Merlin's beard am I supposed to do with that?!" Katie sighed exasperatedly as her mother just chuckled and shrugged.

"Perhaps you ought to go take a look in your room," Aimee said in a tone that so clearly implied 'I know something you don't know!' Katie rolled her eyes as she finished off her toast.

"I'm sure that's just a completely innocent suggestion, right Mother?"

"Of course it is, dear," Aimee replied as she gave her daughter an extremely over the top, mock-innocent smile.

"Where's Dad?"

"He went for a run, should be back within the hour. Why?"

Katie shrugged as she stood up and started out of the kitchen. "I thought he and I might do a little father daughter bonding, seeing as I haven't spent time with him since this summer. Ask him to come find me when he gets back, yeah?"

"Alright, dear."

Katie practically sprinted up to her room and, reaching it, threw open the door. She was extremely surprised to see that it was relatively clean. Well okay, that was a lie. But the bed was made, which she had most certainly not done herself.

But the most surprising thing, the thing that Katie almost fell over at seeing was a beautiful dress, laid out elegantly on her bed. It was the color of dark red wine, floor length, and strapless with tiny sequins around the bodice. Also on the bed was a matching shawl, a pair of silver-colored heels, a single red rose, and a card.

After the initial shock had worn off, Katie picked up the card and ripped it open, while simultaneously picking up the rose and burying her nose in it, welcoming the wonderful scent. Her eyes widened even more as she read the card:

_Kate,_

_I told you that you didn't need to worry about what to wear._

_It's your size, thanks to some help from your Mum._

_I'm sure you'll look just as beautiful as you always do._

_I'll see you at 5:30._

_Love,_

_Oliver_

Katie almost said 'aww' out loud, but instead decided to squeal and jump up and down excitedly. Within seconds, she had her ear pressed to the phone and was dialing Angelina's number.

**Diagon Alley**

"So do I really need to go through the entire over protective big brother speech? Or will it suffice to give you the abbreviated version?" Paddy asked calmly.

"I'm sure that I'll get the picture if you give me the abbreviated version."

"Okay, sounds good to me. So hurt her in any way, cheat on her, make her cry, in short, do anything morally wrong (and that includes sleeping with her or getting her pregnant, unless of course you're married)," at this, Oliver turned a lovely shade of red, "and not only will you never be able to have children, but they'll never find your body, let alone be able to identify it." Patrick seemed to be trying to remember something for a moment before continuing, "I think that's all. Did I make my self explicitly clear?"

"Crystal." Oliver chuckled nervously and breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the Quidditch store and the awkward moment melted away.

"So has Katie dropped any 'oh-so-subtle' hints about what she wants for Christmas?"

"You haven't gotten her anything yet?" Oliver asked incredulously as he examined a pair of dragon hide gloves.

Paddy smiled sheepishly and replied, "No, not yet. Well it's been hard because I've been on the road so much, you know? Wait a second, is she still using that old Cleansweep?"

Oliver shuddered involuntarily; the old broom had seen way too many games and he was always afraid it was going to chuck Katie off. "Yes, unfortunately."

"Well its decided then. But do you think she'd rather have a Firebolt 2 or a Nimbus 2003? She always used to be partial to Firebolts, likes the manufacturers better, but the Nimbus has better handling capabilities." Patrick and Oliver crossed to the other side of the store and began examining the brooms thoughtfully.

"I'd say the Firebolt; she would rather have speed than handling."

"As you say, Mr. Wood." Paddy smiled as he picked up a Firebolt 2 and carried it to the counter. Oliver grabbed the two beater's bats that he hand set on the ground while looking at the brooms and followed Paddy to the counter to pay for them. They were Fred and George's Christmas presents, but they were no ordinary bats. After two uses, they exploded into a string of fireworks, most likely right in the face of the user. Oliver was quite proud of himself for having come up with such a gift. In reality, he had known what he was going to buy them for weeks now, but hadn't been in any Quidditch stores long enough without Fred and George.

The two made their purchases and then left the Quidditch store; Oliver started to lead them towards a clothing store. "Where, exactly, are we going, Wood?"

"Well, I forgot to buy a tie to go with my suit and the ones I have don't match Katie's dress. So I have to buy a new one. You don't mind, do you?" Paddy chuckled and shook his head 'no'.

"You're not good enough _for_ my sister, but you sure are good _to_ her," he stated with a half-smile. Oliver stared at him, confused as to what he should think, for a moment, before turning away with a slightly dejected look on his face. "Relax, Wood. In my opinion, no one's good enough for Katie. She's leagues away from everyone else. So don't be too depressed that I don't think she's in your league. You're a lot better than some of the guys she's brought home."

"Like who, exactly?" Paddy smirked at the jealous tone that was extremely clear in Oliver's voice.

"Well you know she and Fred had a go for a while, but decided it was just too weird, seeing as they're too good of friends. She told me about that Diggory bloke; didn't much care for him when I was at Hogwarts. Shifty lad, if you ask me. Then there was Roger Davies; she stayed with him the longest. He was all right, I guess. She seemed pretty happy with him but after like 6 months decided she didn't want a relationship. She said it was getting in the way of her friendships, not to mention Quidditch. That was back in fourth year … no, that was last year."

Oliver's jealousy ebbed slightly when he remembered the night Katie had broken up with Roger.

**Flashback**

_"Hey, Kates!" Angelina smiled brightly as Katie flopped down on the Common Room couch between her and Alicia. Oliver, Fred, and George were sitting on the floor in front of them, with their backs to the fire, playing a game of Exploding Snap._

"What's with the long face Miss Bell?" Fred asked after seeing Katie's sad expression.

"Its not important." The boys simultaneously put down their cards, pushed them out of the way, and scooted up to the couch so they were sitting right in front of it. Katie gave her friends a worried glance; she was now completely surrounded. She suddenly had a strange feeling that she would be explaining everything.  


_ "If it's bothering our Kates, then its important," George said with a serious expression.  
Katie sighed and ran her hands through her hair. _

_"Don't you get it?! I don't deserve you guys! I've been neglecting you all for the longest time to see Roger and shit like that. I'm such a horrible friend. You should all just disown me."  
_

_ "Kate, stop talking nonsense. You're not a horrible friend you've just been … slightly distracted lately." Oliver reached up and tucked a piece of brown hair, which had fallen out of Katie's ponytail, behind her ear. She gave him an 'oh please' look. "Okay, so you've been neglecting us more than any of us would like to admit. But it's not like we all haven't done that. And besides, I'm sure that now that you've realized it you'll make an effort not to do it any more."  
_

_ "Oliver's right, Katie. But you shutting us out hurts a lot more than you skiving on us for Roger once in a while," Alicia said, giving Katie a look that could only be described as motherly. But then, Alicia kind of was the motherly figure of the group, just like Katie was the persuasive one, Fred was the perverted one, George was the most reserved (strange, I know!), Oliver was the Quidditch one, and Angelina was really the one who held it all together. All those things combined were what made their friendship work so well.  
_

_ "Okay … well I … broke up with Roger."  
_

_ "What?! Why?!" Angelina yelled.  
_

_ "Hey, the calmness love, be one with it. Why did you break up with Roger, Kate?" Oliver asked in a soft, soothing tone.  
_

_ "You mean besides the fact that he was getting in the way of my friendships?" She shrugged and sighed. "I dunno … it was just getting so … stale. I don't even really like him that much any more."_

**Back to the Present**

Oliver was shaken out of his reverie rather violently as a thought entered his mind. What if things started to get "stale" between he and Katie? What if she wasn't in love with him like he was in love with her? There was a cold feeling in the pit of Oliver's stomach that he didn't particularly want to acknowledge.

Little did he know that if their relationship ended, like he was afraid it would, it would have nothing to do with things getting "stale". Oh no, it would go out with a much bigger bang.

A/N: Here we are everyone! Sorry for that nasty bit of foreshadowy-ness at the end, but its necessary! Don't pummel me please! **Please review!**


	24. Happy Christmas

**Chapter 24:**

**Happy Christmas **

"Katie? Are you ready? Oliver's waiting!" Katie couldn't keep the smile off her face as she heard her mother yell 'Oliver's waiting'. She brushed a loose curl out of her face and started downstairs, but not before checking herself over in the mirror one more time.

She took a deep breath as the foyer, and Oliver came into view. She couldn't help giggle quietly as she saw him. He was wearing a muggle suit and a tie that matched her dress perfectly. He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, just like he did before a Quidditch game; a sure sign that he was nervous. On the little side table, the one that held the bowl for the keys and such, there was a clear little box. Oliver kept glancing at the box, between glancing at the clock and the stairs of course. Inside it was a small, but elegant corsage with two white roses. When he caught sight of Katie he couldn't help but break into a grin.

She was wearing the beautiful red dress; not only did it fit her flawlessly, it made her look, in Oliver's opinion, like a goddess. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail of soft, smooth ringlets, with a few ringlets framing her face. He hadn't had the chance to talk to her since she discovered her dress and accessories, so he was, understandably, a bit nervous. But he decided that since she was not only wearing the dress, shawl, and shoes, but also smiling sweetly at him, there wasn't much to be worried about.

Aimee's voice broke them both out of their trance as Katie reached the bottom of the stairs. "We won't wait up, I'm sure you two are responsible enough to get yourselves home … _safely_." Aimee gave Katie a knowing smile as Oliver was silently reminded of Paddy's older brother speech by a sharp poke in the ribs from the said older brother.

"Yes, of course, Mrs. Bell," Oliver said, his eyes still lingering on Katie, who just smiled back at him.

"Have fun, darling," Daniel said as he stepped forward and gave Katie a hug and a kiss on the forehead, Aimee and Paddy followed suit before leaving the foyer.

"Hi," Katie said bashfully, biting her lip.

"Hello." Oliver cleared his throat as he picked up the corsage and held it out to Katie. She smiled and walked forward, allowing him to slip it onto her wrist. Katie pulled her shawl around her shoulders as Oliver put on his suit coat, and, without saying anything more, he took her hand in his and led her outside, closing the front door of the Bell house behind them. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to Katie. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Portkey."

"Oh." She put her hand on it and within seconds they felt the familiar tug at the back of their navels. Katie opened her eyes again once she felt herself on firm ground and gasped involuntarily as she took in her surroundings.

She and Oliver were standing at the top of a hill; the sun was setting in front of them and she noticed that they were just outside of Hogsmeade. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking; the colors going from red to orange to yellow and all the colors in between. She felt Oliver wrap his arms around her waist from behind, but was too mesmerized by the sunset to react.

A few minutes later, when the moment had passed and the sun almost completely gone, Katie turned around in Oliver's arms so that she was facing him and kissed him sweetly. "That was beautiful, thank you."

"The night hasn't even begun yet, Miss Bell." Oliver smiled mischievously as he took Katie's hand and led her down the hill, towards Hogsmeade. "And, just as a disclaimer because I know you'll say something, we're going to _Bucca di Beppo_ and you don't need to worry about the prices."

Katie's eyes widened at the mention of one of the most expensive, delicious but expensive, restaurants in Hogsmeade. It sold the most delectable Italian food in all of England, save a few places in London. "But Oliver that place is like –"

"Your favorite, I know." He gave her a look and she knew she wasn't going to win this battle, so she decided to just let it go. But he _was_ right; her parents had brought her there for her birthday when she was 12 and since then it had been her favorite restaurant. Oliver shot her a cheeky grin as they reached the restaurant and he held the door open for her.

The concierge turned up his nose a little and snootily asked, "Do you have a reservation?" as if he expected them not to.

"Yes, under Oliver Wood."

"Oh, of course Mr. Wood! Can I take your coats?" Oliver and Katie shook their heads, trying not to burst out laughing at the concierge's overly sweet tone. "Right this way." The man led them to their table, handed them their menus, and left without another word.

"So, Kate, would you trust me to order?"

Katie chuckled and smiled across the table at him. "No, Ol', because I don't think you know what I really like, considering you've only been my best friend for 6 years."

"You're so evil, do you know that?"

"Hmm, but that's why you love me." They exchanged a smile as Katie put down the menu. "I didn't get a chance to thank you, yet … for this dress," she smiled and blushed as she looked down at it.

"Only the best for my Kate," Oliver replied as he took her hand in his from across the table and kissed it gently. She giggled and bit her lip, blushing slightly.

Just then, the waiter came over and asked for their order. Grinning mischievously, Oliver leaned over and whispered something to the waiter. He was going to make Katie wait until the food was brought out to see if he had ordered correctly or not. Katie just rolled her eyes.

"I'm assuming my brother gave you his … "speech", eh?" Katie giggled as Oliver nodded, slightly more pale than he had been a few seconds ago.

"Your brother is … well he's just bloody scary. But don't tell him that I'm scared of him."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think he already knows," she whispered, leaning closer to Oliver.

"Shh," he replied with a smirk, pressing one finger against his lips.

The waiter returned a little while later with the food and Katie was slightly surprised to see that Oliver had picked exactly what she would have chosen herself; Seafood fettuccini Alfredo.

**Two Hours Later**

"So where are we going now, Oliver?"

"Shh, you'll see." He grinned mischievously as he and Katie started down the main road of Hogsmeade, away from _Bucca di Beppo_. She rolled her eyes, but smiled, as she rested her head on Oliver's shoulder. Within a few minutes, they were well outside of Hogsmeade, in a large field, covered with pure, white snow.

Katie gasped involuntarily as it came into view. A huge green blanket spread on the ground, with hundreds of candles on top of it, all flickering slightly in the breeze. She noticed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, along with a box of chocolate … Swiss chocolates. She laughed, thinking of the 15 lb bar of chocolate that she still hadn't finished eating.

It took her a few moments to realize that Oliver was leading her over to the blanket. Upon entering the perimeter of the blanket, she realized that there was a heating charm on it and it was a very pleasant temperature. He motioned for her to sit down and she did, only to be surprised at how comfortable it was, as if she were sitting on a pillow rather than the ground. Oliver sat down next to her and reached for the champagne. He popped the cork and poured some into the two glasses, not taking his eyes off of Katie.

Handing her the glass, Oliver kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Happy Christmas, Kate."

"Happy Christmas, Ol'." Their glasses clinked together a moment later, before they both took a sip of champagne. Then, Oliver set his glass down and reached into his coat pocket. A moment later, he produced a long, thin, black, velvet box. Katie cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as he handed it to her.

She started to open it, but Oliver put his hand over hers and interrupted with, "Wait." He smiled as he moved his hands up from hers to cup her face. Slowly, he pulled her forward and gently pushed his lips against hers. It was a simple, sweet kiss, much like their first and Katie couldn't stop herself from beaming as Oliver pulled away. She blushed slightly as she saw the look of complete adoration splayed on Oliver's face. "Okay, now you can open it," he whispered.

Katie smiled at him curiously, but didn't say anything as she clicked open the box. She gasped involuntarily as she saw what was inside. There, laying on the silk inside of the box, was a beautiful silver, heart-shaped locket and chain. On the front of the locket was the claddagh figure and on the back was an engraving: "You hold my heart in your hands". The chain was a simple silver one and on the inside of the locket were two pictures; one of Katie and one of Oliver.

"Do you like it?" He seemed slightly nervous, which made Katie laugh.

"Are you kidding? I love it! It's beautiful!" Katie couldn't hold back her smile and simply leaned towards Oliver, capturing his lips with hers. "I love you, Oliver Benjamin Wood."

"And I love you, Katherine Anne Bell." Oliver smiled and took the necklace from her; she turned and held up her hair so that he could clasp it around her neck. He kissed the base of her neck before wrapping his arms around her waist and sighing contentedly. Her hand started, unconsciously, to fiddle with the locket, as they sat there in comfortable silence.

"Oh! I have to give you your present!" Katie pulled away slightly and reached for her purse. A few seconds later, she produced a small, cream-colored envelop. "It's not much."

"Nonsense." Oliver smiled and kissed her forehead before taking the envelop from her and opening it. He pulled out two pieces of cardstock and nearly fainted. "Kates … are these … are these what I think they are!"

"Well, if you think that they're two tickets to the worlds, then yes." Katie laughed out loud at Oliver's face, which looked just like that of a little kid that had just gotten his first broomstick.

"I'm going to the worlds! I'm going to the worlds! Oh Kates, this is the best Christmas present ever!" Oliver kissed her repeatedly. They both knew, for a fact, that the final game was going to involve Puddlemere, one way or another.

Both of them had to agree … this had been their favorite Christmas ever.

**A/N**: Wow, guys! I'm really sorry! I can't believe how horrible I've been to all my fabulous readers! ARG! Well, I do have good news though: Mock Trial is over; nearly everything else is over, so Pia O'Leary is back! WOO! The next chapter will be up this time next week and the following chapter is not quite done yet, but should be done sometime the week after. Please don't' hate me for taking so long! Please review!

**Aya777**: Thanks!

**Sinoda**: LOL, nice. I'm glad you liked them! Yeah, Patty is quite possibly, my favorite character in this story. After this fic is finished, I'm writing another one about Fred and Angelina and then another about George and Alicia, so look out for those!

**Nat**: LOL! Just trust me! I promise that everything will work out the way it's supposed to – no, not necessarily the way you WANT it to, but the way it's SUPPOSED to! Seriously though, don't worry about it. There will be sequals and all that jazz, so I promise not to leave you hanging! LOL, I hope you liked this chapter then! Oliver was immensely sweet in it! Meh, I LOVE Cherry Coke, but Coke doesn't really hold a very special place in my heart … sorry. LOL, I'm sorry that this took so long and I'm sorry that you were stuck at your cousin's bday party, I know how that is! Thanks a bunch!

**Mello80**: EEP! I'm sorry that this chapter took such a long time! Good thing you didn't hold your breath, hehe. I hope this lived up to expectations!

**Bubbleishness**: LOL, by 'bang' I mean … well you'll just have to keep reading and find out! I know, I'm evil, but I'm okay with that!

**BeckySue2**: LOL! I'm sorry! And I'm super sorry that this took so long. Yeah, I don't usually leave cliffies, but every once in a while I like to switch it up! Besides, the ending fit so it worked!

**HarryPotterFan670**: LOL, thanks! Sorry for the long wait!


	25. A Peaceful Interlude

**Chapter 25: A Peaceful Interlude  
**

"AHH! Oliver save me!" Katie shrieked as Fred lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. George was laughing hysterically as he watched his twin brother tickle Katie mercilessly. "Oliver!"

"Oy, Fred! I want my girlfriend back!" Oliver called from his seat on the other side of the compartment. Fred grinned cheekily before carrying Katie over to Oliver and dropping her into his lap. Katie kissed Oliver on the cheek and leaned against him, still giggling. He leaned closer and whispered, "You look beautiful when you laugh." She smiled, biting her lip, as he fingered the silver locket around her neck.

"Hey, you two! Come back to the earth for a few minutes!" Angelina said loudly, waving her hand at them.

The six of them were on their way back to Hogwarts after Christmas break. They'd had a wonderful time at Katie's two days prior; the twins instigated a snowball fight and they all ended spending the night at Katie's house. They exchanged gifts and everyone was relatively pleased with their gifts. Katie had given the twins each a new pair of Quidditch gloves, since she knew they needed them, she had given Angelina a t-shirt with David Bowie on it, and she had given Alicia a CD of her favorite band, The Rasmus. Oliver had given the twins their prank beater's bats, Angelina got a new scarf (much to her dismay and Fred's delight), and he gave Alicia set of books that she had been wanting. Fred and George had gotten everyone the same thing: a black hoodie that said "The Spectacular Six" on the front in gold, cursive letters. On the back of each of them were a number (1 thru 6) and their last name. Oliver's, for instance, said "Wood" and "3". Angelina gave Oliver a shirt that said "Quidditch Maniac", she gave Katie and Alicia both a pair of jeans that were similar to the pair they had been stealing from her for months. Alicia had given Angelina a black dress that she had been wanting for months since she saw it at a store in Muggle London, she gave Katie a new Lava Lamp, as hers had broken, and she gave Oliver a Puddlemere United warm-up jacket.

"So we've got a few days before classes start up again, right?" Alicia asked, settling comfortably into George's arms.

"Yeah," Oliver answered absentmindedly; he was entranced with the strand of Katie's hair that he was winding around his finger.

"How about Hogsmeade tomorrow then?"

"You know, Fred, eventually we're going to get in trouble for always going there," Katie said, giving him a look that could be deemed McGonagall-like.

"Nah! I heard Dumbledore talking about our excursions to one of the teachers a while back. Seems he doesn't really mind it." George waved his hand dismissively.

"Well in that case, Hogsmeade it is!" Oliver said, having broken out of his reverie.

** 1 Week Later **

"You know … getting hurt isn't so bad … if your beautiful girlfriend … gives you a massage after." Katie laughed and shook her head; Oliver had pulled out his shoulder during Quidditch practice. Now, she was sitting behind him on the floor, massaging his shoulder, the Boys' Dormitory fire roaring before them.

"Oliver?"

"Hmm?" he responded, dazedly. She knew he wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying, so she stopped massaging his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his good shoulder. "Yes, love?"

"What's going to happen to us when we graduate?" Oliver turned slightly and gave her a confused look.

"Kates, we're only in sixth year … I don't think we need to be worrying about that yet."

"So … what are you saying? That this is just some pointless fling to you?" Katie asked, starting to get angry, even though her voice was thick. At this, Oliver stood up and pulled her up with him. He gave her a serious look, his rich, brown eyes boring into hers.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ let me hear you say that again. I love you with every fiber of my being. I am totally and completely in love with you, Katherine Anne Bell. This is _not_ a fling or whatever else you want to call it. This is love … you and I … we have something special. Something I've never felt before in my entire life. After we graduate, I fully intend on making you my wife … eventually." Without waiting for her response, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently. She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him back.

** … … … **

"Damn it!" Marcus grabbed a lamp and threw it against the wall in anger.

"Marcus, sweetheart, don't be mad." He turned and glared at her, but his glare soon softened as he raked his eyes over her clothing … or lack thereof. But then, the memory of what had just happened between the two Gryffindors crept back into his memory.

"Fuck … I can't believe him … she's mine!"

"Shh, sweetheart … don't get yourself so worked up over it." Morgana sat down next to him and started to massage his shoulders slowly. "Let's have a bit of fun," she purred in his ear.

"Under one condition … you put the plan into action … tomorrow." Morgana nodded as she pulled Marcus onto the bed with her.

A/N: I know, I know. It was horribly short. But the next part is a HUGE plot point, and I just couldn't justify putting it in this chapter. It needs a chapter all its own, trust me. I will warn you that the next chapter, while it probably won't be up for at least a few days, will make you all want to hurt me … a lot. All I have to say is please trust me! Everything will work out like it's supposed to! Please review!

**AvalancheFan**: Thanks a bunch!

**BrownEyedAthena**: Nice penname! Thank you so much! I'm so flattered! I was sort of afraid people would be annoyed at the fact that I talk about the twins, Alicia, and Angelina, but I'm really glad that you liked it! LOL, all I can say about the ending is TRUST ME! Yes, there will be sequels. There will be one major post-Hogwarts, post-war sequel with Katie and Oliver, and several others focusing more on the twins, Alicia, and Angelina. I don't plan to write a story on their involvement in the war, but I do have a few one-shots planned to explain it. Again, I'm so flattered! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anonymous**: LOL, I think we all wish we had an Oliver in our lives! Or maybe a Mr. Darcy … oh yeah, anywho! Thanks a bunch!

**Depthofshadow**: LOL! Well, I'm sorry that this took longer than I expected. I've been super busy. The next chapter won't be up for a while, but I'm going to ask my beta to make it her top priority! I'm flattered!

**Elvishgurl**: Nope, that's not the ending. It will be a while before this actually ends. I'm looking at about 35-40 chapters. Thanks!

**TooSweet4Words**: Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** Just like we all wish that we had an Oliver in our lives (or perhaps a Mr. Darcy, depending on which way you go), we all wish we owned Harry Potter. I lay claim to neither of these!


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